The Key Chapter Award is one of Golden Key’s most esteemed honors. Chapters must have achieved a Gold chapter standard status, the highest possible reporting standard in the Society, before they can apply to become a Key Chapter. Chapters that receive a Gold Standing have fulfilled all activity and service requirements of Headquarters; those that become Key Chapters have gone above and beyond. Around 25% of our chapters meet the requirements for Gold Standing. With nearly 100 chapters in North America were given a Gold Standing, 28 out of those have been selected as the Key Chapters for the 2012-2013 academic year.
The Key Chapter Award Winners in North America are:

• Baruch College, The City University of New York
• California State University, Los Angeles
• Concordia University
• Florida International University
• George Mason University
• Georgia State University
• North Dakota State University
• Oakland University
• South Dakota State University
• Stony Brook University
• Texas State University- San Marcos
• The College of New Jersey
• The University of Alberta
• The University of Alabama
• The University of British Columbia
• The University of Florida
• The University of Memphis
• Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayaguez
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, Riverside
• University of California, Santa Cruz
• University of Hawai’i at Manoa
• University of Miami
• University of Missouri-St. Louis
• University of New Hampshire
• University of Southern California
• University of Virgin Islands- St. Thomas
• University of Wisconsin- La Crosse

Our congratulations go out to Ifemayowa Aworanti, a rising junior and the Chapter President at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, on being named the recipient of the 2013 Emerging Scholar Award! Golden Key’s Emerging Scholar Award recognizes a sophomore who has made a significant difference in their chapter.
Originally from Nigeria, Ifemayowa’s family moved to the U.S. for better educational opportunities. He is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology at UMBC. He is currently performing summer research at Yale University as part of the Sackler/NSF REU, which enables undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in the sciences to conduct interdisciplinary research that focuses on the intersection of biology, physics, and engineering.
Upon receiving the award, Ifemayowa said, “I am deeply grateful of, humbled, and encouraged, by this opportunity that Golden Key has allotted me, through the Emerging Scholar Award, to fund my education. It means everything to me. It will help me to more fully focus on my academic and research work towards achieving my life’s goal of becoming a physician researcher. I am encouraged by Golden Key’s confidence in me that I maybe can achieve my goal. This makes me even more resolute in my aim to keep working hard towards achieving it.”
Ifemayowa’s goal is to become a physician researcher who leads and conducts research against diseases such as AIDS, sickle-cell disease and cancer. He hopes to achieve this by entering into a dual MD/PhD program with a research focus in bioengineering after college. He is an extremely hard worker, studying every single day, including holidays.
Ifemayowa is involved in a multitude of activities outside of his academic work.  In order to financially support his education, he works as both as a writer for the UMBC newspaper and as an office assistant in the UMBC Office of Student Life. One of his proudest accomplishments on the newspaper staff was the creation of a “Researcher of the Week” column where they promote and encourage undergraduate research across campus. He is also member of the Health and Wellness sector of UMBC’s Student Government Association, where he works with other students to create ways to improve student health on campus.
When asked about being the president of the UMBC chapter of Golden Key, he said, “As a Golden Key member and officer I work hard, and I have the opportunity to work with an amazing group of hard working, motivated, and dedicated individuals: like our great members, our amazing executive board, our amazing chapter advisor, and our wonderful regional director.  Being around them has been a great motivation for me. And with their help, I have led our chapter in hosting the 2013 Baltimore Regional Summit. As part of the Summit, we made cards for the inhabitants of the Samaritan Women Center- a recuperation home for victims of abuse and human trafficking. Furthermore, during the spring 2013 semester, our chapter worked with two other student organizations to bring over 200 disadvantaged youths from a local middle school to our campus as a way of inspiring them to strive to achieve at least a collegiate education.”
Please join us in congratulating this outstanding student and Golden Key member!

Golden Key’s Director of Canada, Ian Sankey, will be traveling to Peru through G Adventures.
“Perfect for those looking to experience the region’s archaeological and cultural treasures in a short amount of time, this adventure includes a 4-day trek along the Inca Trail. This is one of the world’s best-known hikes and will reward those willing to break a sweat with a stunning combination of mountainscapes, cloud forests and jungles.”
That is how the G Adventures website describes the Peru trip that, for me, is now less than a week away.

Golden Key has partnered with G Adventures to organize a number of GK group trips around the world. I will soon meet up with 12 Golden Key students and alumni to discover the wonders of Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and the famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The Golden Key members are traveling from Canada, the U.S. and South Africa.  Golden Key members receive a discount on all of G Adventures trips and an even better price for our GK group trips like the one heading to Peru. My wife is a GK alumna from McGill and will also be joining me on the Peruvian adventure ahead.
Are we ready for a 24 mile hike through the mountains? Over the course of the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu, hikers gain and lose 1000 meters several times, all of which is at an altitude of over 3000 meters where oxygen is noticeably thinner.  The journey winds through the valleys and hills of the surrounding area, taking you the through the scenic landscape, from high alpine to cloud forests. Can there be any walk anywhere in the world with such a combination of natural beauty, history and sheer mystery and with such an awe-inspiring destination?


In order to prepare ourselves for the trek to Machu Picchu, we have been trying to get in at least one long hike each weekend for the past few months.  We have been accompanied by our little hiking buddy, our 10 month old daughter Alyssa. Good training having an 18 pound child on your back while you hike up a mountain. As much as she loves our family hikes, Alyssa will not be heading to Peru with us… the grandparents will be having their own adventure with her back home while we are away.
I look forward to meeting up with the GK members and exploring the wonders of Peru. I’m sure we will have many stories to recount and wonderful memories to share by the end of our 8 day journey. G Adventures trips are led by local guides called CEOs – Chief Experience Officers. Let the incredible experience begin!
If you happen to be heading to hike the Inca Trail any time soon, here are a few sites we found helpful:
http://www.estherandjacob.com/packingformachupicchu/
http://sistersbailey.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/inca-trail-packing-list-tested-and-refined/
http://karenkho.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/25-essential-tips-for-hiking-the-inca-trai/
Hiking shoes… check. Sleeping bag… check. Dozens of other outdoor gear items and miscellaneous stuff… check. We are all set and ready for the trip of a lifetime.
Look for a full account of our journey when I return and have iced my knees for a couple of days.
Cheers,
Ian Sankey
Director, Canada
Golden Key International Honour Society