The leadership team for Townsend Harris’s Key Club has officially been announced, with a group of three rising seniors stepping into the main roles: Vaibhvi Patel as President, alongside Co-Vice Presidents Vidhi Patel and Angela Lee. This year’s board includes leaders who have worked closely together since freshman year — including two who are twins — bringing experience, strong bonds, and shared visions for the future of Key Club.
Vaibhvi, Vidhi, and Angela have worked closely together within the club since their freshman year. With a foundation of experience and strong communication, they now bring their bond to the forefront of their leadership, aiming to expand club engagement, take on more independent service initiatives, and foster a stronger connection between members and the wider Key Club network.
“I honestly love working with Vidhi and Vaibhvi,” Angela said. “I think we operate really well as a team, and what makes it even better is that we’re not just ‘co-workers’ in the context of Key Club, we’re friends outside of our roles too. That kind of connection makes our collaboration feel more natural and meaningful.”
Angela also reflected on moments that made their time on the board memorable: “One of my favorite memories was our Board BJ’s run. We were buying snacks and supplies for Field Day, and it turned into this unexpectedly fun bonding experience. We were all joking around, debating over which candy to get, and in that moment, I just felt so connected to everyone.” She added that attending LTC (the statewide Key Club leadership conference) also stood out: “Meeting fellow Key Clubbers from across New York who were just as passionate about service as we are, it was kind of unreal. It made me realize that Key Club isn’t just something we do at our school, it’s part of a much bigger community.”
At the head of this year’s leadership is President Vaibhvi Patel, who brings both experience and a vision for the future. When asked about it, she said, “I plan on working on more collaborative projects, and maybe even leading one ourselves. We tend to partner with other schools for service projects and fundraisers for charities, and are often unable to plan one on our own due to the complexity of it and communication with school administration. But this year, I hope to plan a collaborative event with the support of our school’s administration. Another one of my goals is to expand the club participation of members and make volunteering more fun for all.”
”I want to start more fundraising initiatives for this year’s service project: One Tree Planted. I really want to work towards this service project because at my temple we have yearly walk-a-thons where we advocate for tree planting, so being a part of a similar project for school would be super cool,” she said.
But beyond goals, Vaibhvi says that her favorite parts of Key Club come from the heart: “An experience that I hope others can enjoy is being soaked in the rain passing food at a festival, smiling and enjoying the atmosphere even if the task is arduous. I recall being stuck outside the tent, at the mercy of the rain, but I didn’t care, I was just happy to be there and help the restaurant owners, many of whom were elderly.”
For Vidhi Patel, the heart of Key Club lies in its ability to give back to the community in fun and interactive ways. Reflecting on what makes this year’s leadership stand out, she said, “This year’s new leadership is very different from past years in the way that we have a lot more rising sophomores taking on initiative than anticipated and the fact that three seniors hold high positions (President and Co-Vice Presidents). Previously, there was only one high position, but with more now, work will be much easier and less stressful.”
Vidhi brings strong technical and creative skills, having previously worked on photography and web design. “I helped manage photography for events, and I worked on the club’s carrd.co,” she said. “Some of my favorite memories are probably leading events such as Taste of Tribeca 2024, getting pied in the face for Cardozo’s field day fundraiser, or photographing the foods and jewelry at Flushing BID, which I helped lead.”
She too recalled a small but meaningful moment from LTC: “One experience with Vaibhbvi and Angela would be when we were making bracelets for kids. The beads kept falling off the string, but once we finished, we were able to give them in and feel happy that something little like this can make someone else happy. We even did a little time lapse while working on them.”
Freshman Amanda Ng, the new Bulletin Editor, said, “I think that this year’s leadership is placing a strong emphasis on communication, collaboration, and creativity. The board as a whole is more interconnected, and I’d say that there’s a stronger sense of unity and adaptability, especially when it comes to addressing member needs and keeping everyone involved.”
Their experiences in different roles (Angela as Bulletin Editor, Vidhi as Webmistress, and Vaibhvi as Secretary) has given them each special skills that, when integrated, will only work to the benefit of Key Club. “Vaibhvi usually helps the co-secretaries with emails like proofreading, and also is the one who assigns them or reminds them about their secretarial work, which makes sense as she was previously co-secretary and has more knowledge and experience with that. Me and Vidhi do help proofread emails sometimes, but we mainly help the webmistress and bulletin editor as we have more experience with the visual/creative aspect and assign them work or assist them when they need help. We’re always ready to step in when and where it is needed, and our strong teamwork is one of our biggest strengths,” said Angela.
