Looking Back:
Masquerade Ball
Jason Seto
UC San Diego
sion to make. All the gods proved their worth for the
crown. All of them gave their heart and soul. All shed
their blood, sweat, and tears shed on the battlefield
that night. Despite all that, there could be only one winner. At the end of the night, Sam Barke (Aphrodite) was
crowned! Chosen for his charisma and undying enthusiasm, he proudly accepted! Ronnie Nguyen (Hercules), a
close friend and worthy opponent, also took home two
awards, “People’s Choice” and “Best Talent Act”!
This night was undoubtedly an entertaining and unforgettable experience for everyone. The best part of it
was the amount of money raised! All of it was to be donated to Project Eliminate, a district fundraising initiative that aims to reduce maternal and neonatal tetanus.
With the dedication and hard work of the contestants
and fundraising committee, the willingness of the judges and hosts to volunteer their time, the generosity of
the audi ence to donate money, over $1000 was made!
ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Imagine how high that
would be stacked in dollar bills! Close enough to reach
Mount Olympus?! Quite possibly. :)
One Club. One Committee. One Goal.
How do you measure late, sleepless nights, and
long days? How do you measure even one of those?
How do you measure the night before a midterm, a
paper, a lab report, and choosing to do something
that needs to be done for this organization instead?
How do you weigh one of those choices? How do
you measure each sacrifice—both infinitesimally
small, and extraordinarily large? Now, how do you
do it again and again, and again, and again for six
months?
You can’t.
But these are all tangible things that every member of this committee has had to face. At times,
each one of us were brought to our knees. Brought
to tears even. In these past six months, we’ve seen
adversity and turmoil in planning this event— unlike any year before; from resignations, to price increases, to funding cuts, and selling limitations.
But each time thereafter, we had not one, but six
co-chairs to pick us up, a supportive board to push
us on, and over 200 members to pull us back to
our feet. We stepped up, and overcame every obstacle along the way with determination, and perseverance. It is only fitting that this year represents
the greatest fundraising and volunteer effort ever
known to UCSD Circle K.
This organization succeeds when we act together
as one. In all my life, I’ve never been more proud to
call myself a UCSD Circle K Member, with this committee, and with all of you here with me. So, on behalf of myself, Pediatric Trauma Programs, and the
lives of children everywhere who will be saved by
funds raised through this initiative.
Thank you. I love you all.
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