Many Clubs throughout the District have been catching up with their Georgia Rotary Student Program alumni with Zoom programs. A few months ago, my Club, (the Rotary Club of Columbus) invited three alumni to present an “update” program at one of our weekly meetings. For Julie and me it was especially exciting to see and hear from our Club’s student from the Class of 2006-2007, Rachel Eadie (Scotland), because we were her host family. Like most host families throughout D6900, we still consider Rachel as part of our family and our Club.

Hosting Rachel (and other GRSP students) has been one of the most enriching and delightful things we have ever done in Rotary. Most host families feel the same way! While she was with us Rachel studied Spanish at Columbus State University. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in Spanish and Italian. Her degree included living for 6 months in a Spanish speaking country. So, Rachel went to Bogota, Colombia and lived with a friend from her GRSP Class – of course!

For the next decade Rachel worked in television, based in London. She became a producer and produced several documentaries for the BBC. Shortly after the pandemic began, Rachel returned home to her native Edinburgh and decided it was time to change the direction of her career and focus on “giving back.” She made the decision to follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming an educator. Rachel is currently enrolled at the University of Strathclyde in a Post Graduate Diploma in Education preparing to teach high school. Rachel is a delightfully feisty Scottish lass; she told our Club, “Right, here we go. I’ve seen Dead Poet’s Society like five times. How hard can it be? PGDE Secondary Education let’s be having you…!”

Pictured: Rachel in 2020-21, back in school for a new challenge, and Rachel receiving a Will Watt Fellow from Columbus President Tripp Wade in 2006-2007