I'll be honest-I'm not sure how to start off a story detailing one of the most impactful parts of my life, especially since I never thought the roots of this organization would cause my life to flourish and thrive in the way it has.

To those who have no idea what Circle K is outside of the name of a gas station (a running joke for those in our org), it's the largest student-led service organization chartered at college campuses across the world in conjunction with Kiwanis. Key Club, Builders Club, Aktion Club and K-Kids are all a part of this family that promotes leadership, service, fellowship and overall a sense of community and love that I haven't experienced with any other organization.

Circle K is like many other organizations on campus in that it is student led, but at the same time, it's a breed completely of its own that fosters a sense of family in an international organization. When I first joined a few years ago, I thought I could make a difference through serving and volunteering with others. Little did I know, the organization also made a difference in me, providing me with friends that I've cried, laughed, accomplished successes with and most of all learned from.

In 2015, I applied and was accepted for an opportunity to grow. Only-- I didn't know it at the time. Leadership Academy was a six-day event that took place in the middle of No-Cellphone-Network, Indiana and included sixty something students from all over the U.S., Canada and Aruba that joined together to learn about ourselves and the organization that we're a part of. We were divided up into several "neighborhoods"-- mine was Lightning Strike.

Leadership Academy was a life-changing experience for me, as cliché and over-used that phrase may be. How so? Learning it's okay to be me. It's okay to be vulnerable with complete strangers that would soon become a group akin to family to me. We all have quirks, things we may not like about ourselves and oftentimes we're especially critical towards ourselves for just being who we are. I learned that we're all puzzle pieces that are a little crooked, worn and misshapen in our own ways-- but when we come together, nothing could be more perfect. We are meant to be everything that we are, and when we need to change, there are people there to support that change.

L.A. in 2015 was just the start for me. Every year, Circle K has an international convention where everyone gets together and votes for international positions, amendments and enjoys workshops, time with our crazy CKI buds and a ton of fun (not to mention, lack of sleep!). This year we gathered in Toronto, Canada. I had been several times before, but none like this.

I'm not quite sure how many miles I walked per day or how many times I had to do my "hustle" walk from the hotel to the convention center, nor could I put into words how many smiles and laughs filled my waking moments during those six days I was surrounded with people I met a year or more ago, or people I had just met.

Special can't even begin to describe this group of people. Aside from L.A., attending these conventions also reminds CKI'ers just how incredible Kiwanis is in itself. Kiwanis also has their own conventions and joined Circle K this year in Toronto. Sitting in on their opening ceremony and watching as flag-bearers walked down the center aisle, until the last two flags were carried down, those of Canada and the US, brought tears to my eyes. Not only did I start to realize the difference I could make, but the difference all of us made--in our home clubs and in the world.

But even looking at all of the service hours we've put in, the time spent bonding, creating and learning, the numerous countries that Kiwanis has helped eliminate Maternal-Neonatal Tetanus in, the bigger picture is us. At the end of the day, landscaping looks nice, helping out kids with homework or organizing an event that hosts hundreds of people around the world is great...but the impact we've had is beyond our numbers. One person can impact hundreds, thousands of lives. Being a part of CKI to me means just that...making a lasting impact beyond the hours I put in to serve and encouraging others to join and become a part of an organization that moves forward not as members, but as family.

I've learned to live my life not just as a member of a community, but as a community, a community of friends from all over that live to serve and couldn't be more proud of what they stand for.