It was a beautiful Sunday morning in July of 2022. We were having brunch with our families. I was with my wife, Ilyanah, and Kate was with her husband, Jan, her fireball of a daughter Ada, and her mischievously charming son Cal.
We opted to meet for brunch rather than our usual dinner and drinks (or just drinks) because that’s what titos and titas do. We can’t help but chuckle at how much has changed since we first met as Baby Jaycees a decade ago.
Even before this meeting, she floated the idea of possibly pursuing the 2023 Culiat presidency. I was skeptical at first. I had major doubts about whether or not it would be good for her.
But, while having our coffee, as she laid out her plans and described her vision for the chapter, we were convinced that it would be good, not just for her, but for the members (past and present) of JCI Angeles City Culiat. Her vision is contrarian, her plans unconventional.
Instead of awards, she wants to focus on giving value to the members. Instead of adding more community projects, she plans to go back to the original purpose of JCI: to be a leadership training organization. Instead of hoarding all the attention and prestige, she aims to honor, empower, and shine the spotlight on the members.
She is also open and upfront about the role of her faith in God. This is her primary motivation to pursue the presidency. To use her gifts to serve and honor God—and to do this by serving humanity. Within the context of our organization, this means not just serving the community through our usual community projects but also serving the members of our organization.
\We were sold. We told her that she had our full support. A lot has happened since July of last year. She tirelessly and humbly approached as many past and current members as possible, talked to them as equals, genuinely listened to their opinion, respectfully asked for their support (and, for the most part, got it), and she went for it.
Kathleen Reyes-Romero is now the 71st president of JCI Angeles City Culiat. A few weeks in, we already feel the positive effects of her and her team’s hard work. That’s because they prepared well. Weeks before the start of the year, they’ve established their Core Values: esteem, empowerment, and excellence.
Aligned with these words, her primary vision is to create a strong community within our membership. Members are the lifeblood of our organization. Without their active participation and support, the Board of Directors and Baby Jaycees can only do so much. President Kate knows that we can only have strength in numbers.
To achieve this, the Culiat for Culiat program will be launched. It includes projects like Culiat Advantage Card, Culiat Family, Culiat Talks, and Culiat Dabarkads. These are designed to address some of the needs and wants of our members—which will be an ongoing conversation throughout the year as President Kate plans to actively engage with and learn from as many members as she can. Other projects planned for the year are Hirayamanawari (a mobile library to promote education, reading, and comprehension), a Fun Run, Junior Jaycees Conference (to equip graduating students as they begin their professional life), and selected past projects.
When asked what kind of legacy she wanted to leave Culiat, Kate had only one thing in her mind: family. To be known as a good wife and mother, a daughter who honors her parents. Culiat has also been like a family to her—the members, her brothers and sisters. That’s why she wants to take the opportunity to spend her year as the leader of the chapter to put the interests of the members first.
