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Heroes of CKI
Raziel Ramil
Major:
Undeclared Life Science (planning to switch into CRD)
Stockon, CA
She/Her/Hers
Why did you join Circle K?
Why did I join Circle K? Okay, so, one of my friends, we were friends in high school, and he currently goes to UC San Diego, and like, he told me, "Hey, join this club called Circle K." And I was like, "What's it about?" And then he was like, "Just join it, and you'll find out," and I was like, "Okay, okay, fine." So then my roommate, Yuna, I told her that, "Hey, I'm gonna try to find the booth of Circle K, 'cause like my friend," and I told her the whole story, and she was like, "Oh shit, did you know that that was affiliated with Key Club?" And I was like, "Whaaat?" And she was like, "Yeah!" So then, um, I went to go to the booth, and I actually-- the first person I saw, or like met, from Circle K was Max. 'Cause he was doing the booth thing--
The tabling?
YEAH the tabling, why am I saying booth? And so yeah, I talked to Max and he was telling me about it, I was like, "Cool, service, cool cool cool," and he gave me the flyer, I was like okay. I couldn't make it to the first general meeting during that time, 'cause I had class, but I made it to one of the Fall Welcome Week events, and it was the… Oh, what was it called? It was like… Zombie Attack or something-- Oh no, it was Zombie Tag! Zombie Tag at the Death Star, there you go. And so me and Yuna were like, "Okay, let's go" because we didn't have anything, so. We went, and no one was there. We were like, "What the heck…" *laughs.* And so, but we saw Valerie and Shreya, and we were like, "Hey, are you like going to the same event as we are, the zombie attack thing?" And they were like, "Yeahhh! We're trying to find it too!" And then we waited and they still weren't there, and we were kinda pissed, like okay. We see you Circle K, okay. And then Yuna, she was like, "You know what… I'mma call them, okay. I'mma call… hmm… I'mma call Maximilian, lemme see." So I was like, "Oh my gosh! No, you won't do it!" She was like, "Okay, I will." So she calls him, she's like, "Hello? Maximilian?" And after that he's like, "...Who's this?" Okay this is probably a long ass story, but anyways! So she was like, "This is Yuna Park, we're at the Death Star, where are you guys at? Where's the Zombie Attack thing?" And he was like, "Oh, I'm sorry, we're running late." Oh, by the way, we thought like, since they took that long, we thought that um, like, since it was called Zombie Attack, right? We thought that, that uh, we were already in the game, you know, like, "Oh shoot, are they messing with us? We better watch out," like we thought we were already playing Zombie Tag, 'cause they took that long and we thought they were hiding and stuff, and they were gonna come attack us when we weren't expecting it. Like we were that paranoid and confused. Anyways, so they come, and we play the whole game, blah blah blah, so it was fun, and I was like, "Bruh… they fun or whateva." And so, yeah, that was my first Circle K experience! Wait, was it *laughs* oh my gosh! Was it about Circle K experience, or why did you join Circle K?
Yeah, it was why did you join Circle K? *Laughs.*
*Laughs.* Okay anyways! Oh my gosh I'm so bad at this. Okay, um, yeah, 'cause after that, even though they didn't come on time and stuff, or we were like hecka confused, I mean, at the end we still had a lot of fun, and we didn't regret going at all. And we continued to go to other events, like Chi-Ha-Pa, or join the Big/Little program, and service events. To this day we're still part of it. And like everyone there is pretty cool too. So that's why I joined Circle K, yah!
I wanted to ask if you've had a Circle K moment.
Circle K moment… I think… Hm. Yeah, I did. I think during probably the Snocial. It was the Snocial, yeah. It was like, really last minute, I wasn't even planning to join, like Yuna did, and there was one spot. What's it called-- Nora texted me, and she was like, "Ay, there's one spot, you wanna get it? You wanna join?" I was like, "Okay!" So, yeah, and I wasn't like… I don't know, you know, it's snow, it's just cold water, frozen water, so I wasn't really expecting that much. It's like wintertime, I was like, "I could play in the snow, okay, with a couple of Circle K people." But my expectations was like, not how it actually was, because it was actually a lot more fun. Even though Orion's car did break down, we had to like--
Wait, you were in his car?
No, I wasn't in the car, Yuna was in his car, but like, it kinda cost us delays and stuff, but even though there was delays, I think through that we bonded even more, 'cause I mean, it was a lot of us in a house, and we didn't have-- there wasn't much to do, so we actually talked to each other and we actually played board games, a looot of board games. And yeah, it was really nice getting to know everyone and stuff. And some people I didn't even meet, or like I didn't even know existed, so I was like, "Oh shoot! You were in Circle K?" Ever since that moment, through the Snocial and the bonding and stuff, and getting to know everyone, I was like, "Okay, I think for me, I wanna be more involved in this club," and really want to make an impact on this club and everyone in it, and continue to grow in this club.
I love that, that's such a good story. Is that part of why you wanted to become family head?
Yeah, to be honest. 'Cause like, I talk a lot. Like, I talk a lot. But not as much as Yuna. Haha, don't tell her that. I mean, she's gonna read this, I don't know. But yeah, I talk a lot, and I love connecting with people, I love getting to know people and stuff. Pretty much from Snocial, like through those bonding moments and stuff, and from there I also wanted to get involved with Circle K, so I'm like, "Yo, what's a position that I could like, talk to people, bond with people, and socialize?" And I'm like, "Shoot, it's family head, sign me up, bruh!" So from there, ya girl family head.
Would you say you're really extroverted then?
I think I am more extroverted, but I mean I do have my more introverted times. Like there's times I'm just like, "Aha, not today, I'm busy," but I'm actually on my phone laying down watching Netflix, you know. But yeah, I have those days, but majority of times I'm like, "Yeah, let's hang out! Yeah!" *laughs.*
That's hella cute, that's like a puppy! Okay, what is something that you're really good at?
Hm, something I'm really good at. Okay, so, I would say I'm pretty good at, I wanna say, music, and I guess, talking to people too. So with music, music's been in my life for like five-ever, you know? So like, if you need a song, I got you, like I've been open to music for my entire life, so yeah if you need music suggestions, I got you. Oh yeah, I make Spotify playlists too, you already know that, but yeah. I work really hard on it! *laughs* But like yeah, so, and I also play instruments too.
What instruments do you play?
I play piano, guitar, and the ukulele. Yeah. If you didn't know, that's actually how you pronounce it: uku-lele. I didn't know that until probably my freshman year, because my cousins from Hawai'i, they're like, "Ugh, you're so mainlander, it's called uku-lele." Anyways, that's so off topic, anyways. Um, I think just talking to people too, and connecting with people, that's why I chose family head. I wouldn't choose a position I know I would be really bad at, so with family head, I know that I wouldn't make the atmosphere uncomfortable or make people uncomfortable. I would-- I feel like I'm pretty good at talking to people and like, actually listening to them and actually getting to know them and being a little goofy around them to not, you know, what's the word, make them go away. Or maybe a little bit. I don't know, but I mean, you're here, so. *laughs.* So yeah! I think those are definitely two of what I'm good at.
So then, on the flip side of that, what's something that you wish you could improve on, or something you're not as good at?
Mmm… I don't know, I'm just so perfect. No I'm just kidding! *laughs.* I'm just kidding. Um, definitely I think sometimes, probably like, saying what I believe in sometimes. Or like, speaking out my mind at times, 'cause sometimes I could just be a follower at times, I'm just going with the flow, even though I kind of disagree with it. But I know that I should at least maybe put out my inputs, or speak out sometimes, you know. 'Cause sometimes I'm a people pleaser, or I wanna like-- what's the word… I wanna just agree with people, but sometimes in my heart, I don't agree with them. And I don't wanna cause conflict and confrontation, that's what I was gonna say. So yeah. But sometimes you kinda gotta do it, at times. And it won't hurt to say what you really feel at times, so that's probably something I should improve on. I mean, and if it does maybe cause conflict, there's always room for compromise, and maybe what I did have in mind was something that would actually benefit something. Or, oh my gosh, my studying skills too, mm mm, ya girl's gotta fix that too. *laughs* Oh my gosh, my workout! No summer bod for me, no fit bod for me. Body goals, what? No. Nuh uh. Yeah, that's another thing, I've really been lacking that. I haven't been eating healthy at all. So yeah.
I mean, it's understandable, it's summer, it's your time to chill. Okay, so I'm just gonna like, switch gears a little bit. Why did you choose to switch to CRD for your major?
So, I actually went to a high school-- my high school's name is Health Careers Academy, so it was really geared towards like, the health care, and a lot of our academics was like, um, towards preparing you to go into the health field, to be a doctor, to be a nurse, to be whatever, you know. And my parents, you know, as Filipinos, your parents would always be like, "Oh, become a doctor, anak, can you be a doctor? No musician," you know. So I'm just like, "Okay okay, the money's good, I think I like science, you know, I'm going to this school." So when I was applying to college, I was like going to put my major as biology. I was like, "I'm gonna be a doctor, I'm gonna be a neuroscience doctor, I'm gonna be a surgical doctor. I'm gonna do surgeries up on that brain, you know." I was for sure. And then like, I started scrolling through the other majors that the offered, and I was like, "Oh shoot, this actually sounds really interesting, this is not bad to learn about," so then all of a sudden I got really unsure of myself. I was like, "You know what, I'm just gonna risk it and put myself as Undeclared Life Sciences," so just in case if I still wanted to pursue being a doctor, I'm okay, 'cause I'm already in the biological sciences college and stuff. Yeah, from there, when I actually took those required classes, like NPB, I even took the class with you, you know? I liked it. But then I realized, like, maybe this isn't for me, 'cause there's so much more out there than science, or being a doctor. Then I joined this internship, and it's like really… It's pretty much like business-related, like business and marketing related, but you also learn how to better a community, basically. Carrie actually showed me this internship, and honestly I don't regret joining that internship because like, not only did I meet a lot of great people, but I learned a lot of tools of academics, or like, I learned a lot of things, I guess. And so, there's this one night, I was like, having a mental breakdown, like the typical college student, and my roommate, Yuna, was like, "Oh my gah, what's wrong?" I was like, "Girl, I can't do this anymore!" and she was like, "Yes you can!" I was like, "I don't think so! Like I thought being a doctor was everything, but like I don't know if it's for me or whateva." And so she went on the majors that UC Davis offered, right. She was searching for potential majors for me, and the moment when she read Community Regional Development, I stopped crying and I was like, "What's that?" She was like, "Ooh, hold up hold up, let me read it for you." It's basically a major that, like basically what Circle K does, you know? And you do it for a lifetime, I guess you could say. Like you're basically doing community service for your community, or even the world, you know? You're basically a Circle K'er for life. *laughs* I don't know! I was like, "Actually, I think I might be really interested in that." And so the next day, I actually went to the department of CRD, and I was getting flyers, and I asked some advisors and stuff, like "Can you tell me more about CRD? Can you explain to me what's on the paper," blah blah blah, and they're like, "Yeah sure!" And then from that moment-- I didn't even take a class yet, I'm taking one this quarter-- but from that moment I was just like, "Bruh, I think this is me." From my internship there's also a few CRD majors too, and every time they talk about it, it just makes me like, really engaged, you know, like. I've been doing community service for like, my first year of high school. I wasn't in Key Club or anything, but I did community service for my community in Stockton, and like, you know Stockton isn't like the greatest place, it's pretty ghetto, it's like rank 10 of worst cities to live in in America. But like, um, I think even though I didn't live in Long Beach, I don't know, or Palo Alto, you know, those rich communities, I feel really grateful that I actually grew up here, 'cause I can actually like-- what's the word? I learned to grow a love for community service. I learned to actually enjoy it and have a passion for it. Yeah, that's kinda why I'm choosing CRD as my major.
You're planning to transfer into it next year, right?
Yeah, I'm actually going in the requirements starting next quarter, so.
Do you have any idea what you wanna do with it yet?
Um, honestly, I'm not sure. There's like multiple choices or options, I mean, multiple options I have in mind. Maybe set up, um, a youth center or I don't know, like come back to Stockton and set up a youth center or organization to help out youth or kids. 'Cause I worked in a nonprofit organization, and like basically I would help out with kids from like the hood or whateva, and basically tell them that they loved, you know, tell them that they matter and that they're not worthless or anything. So probably do what they did, basically. Or like, I don't know, probably go out to some third world country and just help out there and like, spread love and do community service! I don't know, probably there's more to that.
That does sound really cool. It sounds like a major where you can really travel a lot and do things outside of your own community.
Yeah, for sure. And like, you know how majority of us, we travel to like vacations and stuff, but you're actually traveling to do service, and actually getting to know the country, and not being your typical American, like, "Oh, I have more power." I don't know *laughs*
Yeah, I know what you mean, like, you're thinking you're better than everyone else like most Americans.
Yeah, like you're letting down your pride and you're just helping them. And you're actually getting to know the culture, and you're getting to know them.
Are there any ideal travel places that you want to go to? It can be for service, but it can also just be for vacation.
Okay, so I have two. For community service-wise, I wanna go to Liberia. Because I was watching this-- do you know The Vice? It's a documentary show thing. I was watching it one day and like, basically Liberia is probably like, I think it ranks number 2 or 3, I'm not sure, but like they're the poorest country in the whole entire world, and it's number 1 for cannibalism. And like, really big on STDs, AIDs, and rape and stuff. As I was watching this documentary, there's this guy, he's from America, he's a journalist, and he lived in Liberia for 14 years. He was saying, he coulda came back, you know. He was originally just gonna be there for like a week, to do some research on the country and blah blah blah. But he just decided to actually live there, like move everything and just settle down. And like, it's because he just wanted to like, help out, and he felt like he needed to be there and just stick around, just do everything to restore Liberia again. 'Cause Liberia wasn't like that country before. Or it wasn't poor, or a cannibalism country before, like he wants to restore peace in Liberia again, and I'm pretty sure other people do too. He was saying he got malaria like 14 times so he's used to it.
Fourteen times?
Yeah! And I was like, "Oh my gosh." He was like, "Yeah, I'm used to it. I'm fine!" When they were interviewing this, they picked him up from the hospital, or the clinic I mean, and the Vice people, they were like, "Oh, what happened? Why were you at the clinic?" He was just like, "Oh, I had malaria." I was watching that, and I was like WHAT. And that's when he told his malaria story of having it fourteen times, you know. I was really shook. That's crazy and so inspiring at the same time, for him to just drop everything. To drop his richness and what he had in America, to come to nothing, just to help these people. That's so crazy. But yeah, that's probably one country I wanna visit. I don't know if I wanna live there and do what that guy did. I mean, I at least wanna go there and help.
Yeah, definitely.
A second country, oh my gosh, probably like Philippines. I haven't been there yet. That's like my home.
Really? Me neither!
Oh you haven't either? Oh my gosh. We should go. *laughs.* But yeah, I just wanna feel my roots and like know what's up, you know. Yeah, that's two of the countries I'd wanna go.
What are some things that you're really looking forward to this year? Like in Circle K, or academically, or even personally.
Well, to start, CRD1, to start those requirements. To actually-- I mean, we started the term for Circle K, but like, I mean fall quarter, that's the real deal, so I'm really excited to actually go all out in my position with my partner, Yuna Park, you know. Yeah, and I'm excited to really get to know my family, to just bond with them, and bond with other families and stuff, and to get to know the freshmen, and to get a little, oh my gosh! Or littles, you never know. But um, but yeah. And just to do more community service to inspire and encourage other people in my family, or just anyone really in Circle K, to do more community service and to just be more involved. And… yeah, I think that's it. Oh, apartment living for the first time too. That'll be a new experience instead of living in the dorms. But yeah, that's probably the things I'm most excited for next year.
Kiwanis Family
CKI at UCD