While many students took the summer off to relax and recover from the school year, Kyle Hanson was putting the finishing touches on his presidential campaign for Key Club International. In July, the Beaverton High School senior was elected Key Club International President by the attendees of the 2023 International Convention in Anaheim, California.
“I gave eight to ten different speeches 50 or 60 times,” said Hanson. “Anyone who attends International Convention votes, and I think there were around 1,000 members there.”
As the high school counterpart of the Kiwanis service organization, Key Club is all about students organizing and leading other students in service. Key Club hosts meetings that allow students to participate in and get connected to volunteering opportunities inside and outside of school. Any member can run for International President, but first they must be endorsed at their district convention.
While at Beaverton High School, Hanson has held leadership positions at all levels of the Key Club organization, but that wasn’t his original intention when he began high school and joined the club. Hanson says he went to his first meeting because a few friends were part of the club.
“I went to the meeting, and had so much fun because of the energy in the meeting. Everything about it seemed so great, to be able to make friends, develop leadership skills, and help your community.”
Hanson sought to bring out that BHS energy at every level of Key Club. As Pacific Northwest District Governor, the position he held last year, he made it a goal to get all the district clubs involved. Part of this involved taking a tour of every Key Club Division in the Pacific Northwest.
“I got to go to Alaska, British Columbia, Eastern Oregon and Washington. And at first it was really, really, scary going to a town of 5,000 in Alaska,” said Hanson. “It was really eye-opening for me learning about their culture, meeting new kids, and realizing we are really similar, [and have] similar interests.”
Getting back to the roots of what Key Club is was part of his inspiration for running for International President. He ran on a platform he called C.O.R.E., which stands for “Club Voice, Outreach, Resources, and Education.” The point was to bring the focus to supporting individual clubs.
“Visiting all the rural clubs and talking to them about what they wanted from Key Club and what they felt was missing, that really inspired me to run for International President,” said Hanson.
As International President, Hanson will oversee an international council made up of the club Vice President, 11 Trustees, and all District Governors. He will also work on global partnerships with companies and represent Key Club at various events.
Outside of Key Club, Hanson is involved in the Leadership Class at Beaverton High School, serving as ASB President for one semester last year. Hanson is also involved in CIA (Create, Invent, Aspire) Science Club and the Dragon Boat team. When he is not at school or participating in his many club activities, he works at a research lab for twelve hours a week. What is Hanson’s secret to balancing his busy schedule? He tries to get things done, like sending out an email, whenever he can find an extra five minutes and he focuses on his passions.
“I only do things I genuinely enjoy,” said Hanson. “It nevers feels exhausting or too draining because I enjoy doing it.”
