Molly Ann arrives in Mumbai, India

Emily shares her RYE experience in Brazil with RC of Dunwoody

The first of our 16 District 6900 Rotary Youth Exchange students for 2019 - 2020 has now arrived in her new Rotary District. Fifteen year-old Molly Ann Soulen, recruited, selected, and prepared by the Rotary Club of Decatur will serve as our ambassador from District 6900 for her exchange year in District 3141 - Mumbai, India.

At the same time, we are welcoming our returning ambassadors from their year-long Rotary Youth Exchange experience. Emily O'Day recently shared her experience as a RYE student in Brazil with her sponsor, the Rotary Club of Dunwoody. Emily reported that she participated in many service projects sponsored by her high school’s Interact Club - including teaching English to local Brazilians and helping one of her host “moms” complete her English language requirement for her literature degree. Emily joined other Rotary Youth Exchange students in traveling along Brazil’s East Coast and in a one-week journey on the Amazon that gave her a new appreciation for “how important it is to protect the amazing world we live in.”

Emily said, “the Rotary Youth Exchange program really changes lives. It offered me an opportunity to learn about cultures outside the US and gave me time to grow and learn more about myself.” When asked about what she found most different, Emily said “people and relationships. People get together and spend hours talking and enjoying each other; they’re not as caught up in social media as we are. I came away from my experience determined than ever to spend more time getting to know and understand people and their perspectives.”