Rotary Youth Exchange, Our Outbound Students
"Exchange is not a year in one's life, but a life in a year".   This is a common saying among Rotarians, Rotex and Youth Exchange Students to describe Youth Exchange. 
Both Tabitha and Elsie, two high school students from D7620, are experiencing just that this Rotary year. As they near the end of their time abroad, we would like to invite you to take a peek into their year.  We would also like to introduce our outbound class of Rotary Youth Exchange Students for the Rotary year 2025-2026. 

Elsie is spending the Rotary year abroad as a high school student living with host families, attending school and immersing herself in the language and culture of Taiwan.  Spending the year abroad as a teenager is thrilling, challenging, exhausting and every former Rotary Youth Exchange Student will tell you the best experience of their lives.  Elsie is sponsored by the College Park Rotary Club and is from Westminster, MD.  While in Taiwan, she is sponsored by District 3510 and the Kaohsiung Xingda Harbour Rotary Club.

"This is me at the Master Han Dan cultural event. A special folklore tradition along Taiwan’s East coast, this symbolizes luck for the new year. Red firecrackers are thrown at a young man hoisted up on a chair wearing nothing but a bandanna, red shorts and goggles while clutching a bouquet. In this event, a few of our exchange students were these brave souls, while the rest of us below threw firecrackers as hard as we could. While somewhat crazy, this was an incredible way to participate in a tradition so entirely different from my own. 

If I could sum up my exchange in one word, I’d say exciting. There is always something new, something fun or something different to experience. Having been blessed with two wonderful families, an active Rotary club and a close-knit group of exchange students, each day is an adventure. Part of me wants it to never end. I am just trying my best to soak in every moment and am so grateful for this opportunity."

It is said, a picture is worth a thousand words.  I leave you to enjoy the pictures of the Lunar New Year Celebration that Elsie was fortunate to have participated in.  Continue reading to learn about Tabitha's year abroad.

                                                     

 

                


Tabitha is another D7620 Long Term Rotary Youth Exchange student who is having an amazing year in South Korea.  Tabitha is sponsored by the Washington D.C. Rotary Club and is being hosted by Rotary District 3740 and the Cheongju-Hanbeol Rotary Club.  

"My exchange year has not only taught me more about other cultures, but also about myself. It has taught me to step out of my comfort zone and that mistakes are part of the process! Before my exchange year, I had always kind of kept to myself, but throughout this year, I feel that I’ve grown to be stronger. Not only in my mind but also in connections with other people."

Tabitha has also shared a few of her favorite, more recent memories, of her Rotary year.
 

"This picture is from our Gangwon tour! I love this picture because we were were all laughing beforehand. I had never been skiing before, so i was very grateful to experience it with friends! I fell down many, many times but I will always have a good memory of it all because of Rotary."

 

"This is from our Thailand trip! This moment was surreal. I had never seen an elephant so close before! The sun was beaming down and everyone was nervous and excited, but more excited! We got a chance to see the beautiful scenery around us and create unforgettable memories. "

For the upcoming Rotary Year 2024-2025, we have three outbound students.  During their first outbound orientation with their parents, they found out where they would be spending the year.  There was quite a bit of excitement and lots of smiles.  The students will attend two additional orientations prior to their departure in August.  I'm sure that you can guess their countries, but let me introduce you to them. 

In the picture below, Nur (on the left) is being sponsored by the Rockville Rotary Club and will spend her year in Taiwan.  She has yet to find out where her feet in Taiwan will land, but should be hearing in the next few months, as will all the outbound students. Lucas is sponsored by College Park Rotary Club and he will be in D4420 Brazil.  In the photo, on the right, Elsie B (not to be confused with Elsie A who is outbound this year) will be spending her year learning Danish.  She is being sponsored by the Metro Bethesda Rotary Club.

On behalf of the Rotary Youth Exchange Committee, we want to thank all of our clubs who are participating in this amazing program that is one of the best kept secrets in Rotary (hint, we would like it to be the best known program, so please spread the word)! 

This spring and into the summer, clubs will begin recruiting potential outbound students for the 2025-2026 Rotary year.  After the clubs have selected their students, the applications are submitted to the district where the candidates are again interviewed and, if accepted, begin the process of preparing for their year abroad.  We would love to engage our Rotary clubs in this process and have resources to support your Clubs Youth Services/Youth Exchange committee.  If you would like to obtain more information about the program (or would like a program at your club) please reach out to Ric Meyer D7620 Youth Exchange Chair or Cindy Harrison, the Outbound Chair for our district.