Junior, Roaa Marei, has increased her responsibilities for the service-focused Key Club International, becoming Lieutenant Governor for the entire division. As the president of Leyden’s local Key Club, Marei has allowed Leyden students to become more involved in their school and community through service. The newly earned job comes with similar responsibilities but includes maintaining a region of schools. 

“My predecessor, Chloe Hardy, the previous Lieutenant Governor, reached out to me to inform me that I am doing a great job being a club president by turning things in on time and helping my club grow by recruiting new members,” Marei said. This ultimately resulted in Marei being chosen to be Chloe Hardys successor in office. 

Marei explained that she “quickly emailed her back, asking for more information about this position to know what [she] would be getting [herself] into.” Once Marei learned more about what her duties would be, she emailed her once more, accepting the position.

Marei’s first action in the new role was to attend the January Board Meeting. “It was so much fun because I met so many people across the state and learned more about their Key Club,” said Marei. 

Marei’s primary responsibility is helping Key Clubs in Division ⅚ grow, as well as assist them through any troubles they may be facing. “It is my responsibility to communicate to different schools and ensure that their Key Cub is doing good,” Marei said.  

Being in charge of Division ⅚, Marei gets to interact with many different schools in the area. Division ⅚ consists of 7 schools that Roaa is responsible for. These include East Leyden, West Leyden, Elmwood Park, Hinsdale South, Proviso Math and Science, Proviso West, and lastly, Fenwick. “I plan to contribute to this division by frequently visiting  Key Clubs of those schools and making calls to see if they need any help and resolve any conflicts they may be having,” Marei explained. 

Marei said, “Because I will be seeing many students from a lot of different schools, I get to ask about how they run their Key Club and what events they do.” With this opportunity, Marei can bring back new ideas for Leyden’s Key Club to participate in. Some of the events Marei hopes for Key Club to continue participating in are “the Hot Chocolate Race, volunteering through Ram Racing, Feed My Starving Children, Make a Difference Day, and participating in a beach clean up.” 

Mrs. Kristine Sobieski, Key Club sponsor, said, “She will be able to provide us with how our club role can expand and offer other opportunities for students who are interested in further developing their leadership skills and interests.”

With the many opportunities Marei has access to with her new title, one other benefit she now enjoys is a leap into her plans in college. Alexis Nguyen, Key Club president, emphasized that Marei’s new role will give her “more experience and a chance to challenge herself by taking on a unique role that could help her in the future.” 

Marei aspires to earn a position on the executive board through the college level organization, Circle K. She also “hopes to continue providing service for many people across the world after high school.”

Overall, she aims for “other students to earn this title by working hard and being involved in Key Club.” Whether it be attending lots of meetings and events or being an official officer like the president or vice president, Marei encourages her peers to be a part of Key Club, where members are allowed to make service possible. 

Marei and Nguyen will be attending Key Club’s annual District Convention Leadership conference on March 13 through March 15 in Springfield, IL, where Marei will be officially inducted along with other new elects for their position as lieutenant governors.