Josephine Lukito has been a passionate member of the Kiwanis family for eight years. In high school, she joined the Bronx Science Key Club as a freshman. Upon entering college, Josephine started her CKI journey as a member of the SUNY Geneseo CKI club. She served as a three-term distinguished lieutenant governor and a two-term distinguished technology chair. In that time, Josephine helped double the number of clubs within her division, created the New York District website and implemented new training programs for club officers. She took her leadership to the next level in 2011–2012, serving as the distinguished New York district governor. During the 2012 Circle K International Convention, Josephine was elected CKI president. Josephine is a communication/political science major.
We had a chance to ask Josephine about her influences, ambitions and lessons learned. Here are her responses.
Who’s had the greatest influence on your life, and how so? My mom—most definitely. Growing up, I really admired her optimism and her motivation. She was always an incredibly hard worker, and that encouraged me to put my 110% into my work, both as a CKI member and as a student. Plus, she has always been my number-one supporter, whether I was running for a position, filling out college applications or completing a research project. No matter the goal, my mom always made an effort to help me out. What’s a secret ambition of yours? Ultimately, I want to become a professor in media studies or communication research. I’m somewhat of a nerd, so things like statistical models and newspaper analysis really appeal to me. But my secret ambition is to one day become a Kiwanis advisor or faculty advisor to a CKI club.
What’s the most important lesson you've learned in your life?
Definitely “everything works out in the end.” It sounds rather cliché, but it applies a lot to my life, and I think it resonates with a lot of people as well. Sometimes we deal with difficult situations, and not everything will go the way we expected or wanted it to go. But it all seems to work itself out in the end. We just don’t realize it at the time.
What advice would you share about staying engaged with CKI? If you keep in touch, it’s amazing to watch your club grow from an alumni perspective. Continuing to communicate with club officers will not only allow you to stay informed about your campus, but it will also be beneficial as your club grows and develops. My experiences with alumni who have stayed in touch have definitely provided me with information and knowledge that I wouldn’t have been able to gain otherwise.
Circle K International Alumni thanks Josephine for her commitment to a lifelong journey of service. We wish her well as she continues on her path, both professionally and as part of the Kiwanis family.
Do your part to help CKI seniors stay connected. Encourage them to join Circle K International Alumni at
www.circlek.org/alumni.
