Transcending time zones and travel limitations, the Rotary Club of Columbus’s May 12 meeting featured several special guests, including DGE Mary Ligon, our GRSP Trustee Ken Townsend. For our program we welcomed back three of our club’s GRSP alumni via Zoom: Zsanett Havasi from Hungary (2007-2008), Catriona Patterson from Scotland (2009-2010), and Anna Skoglund from Sweden (2011-2012). Each shared an update about their lives after their time as GRSP students at Columbus State University.

After her GRSP year Zsanett did a 6-month internship in Barcelona, Spain and later spent a year studying Chinese in Beijing. Since her return to Hungary five years ago she has been working at the airport in Budapest in various roles. She has earned a master’s degree in tourism. She said that participating in GRSP, being part of the RC of Columbus, and experiencing American life and culture more generally, had enhanced her career in tourism.

Catriona still has her RC of Columbus button and her CSU sweatshirt, which she wore while she shared with us. She completed her degree in sustainable development at the University of St. Andrews (William and Kate are not the only great alumni of this school!) and now works for a nonprofit, Creative Carbon Scotland. CCS focuses on the connection between arts and culture and climate change. Catriona is currently the organization’s program lead. She also volunteers with an organization that focuses on climate change and has started a small business featuring sustainable homewares. She lives in Edinburgh and credits the Rotary’s motto of Service Before Self as influencing her desire to work in the nonprofit sector.

Anna worked for several years as an IT consultant in Sweden and Norway. In March 2020, just in time for the lockdown, she moved to Hamburg, Germany to expand her career in IT. She earned a degree in engineering. Asked what food she misses most from Georgia, without hesitation she said the Columbus Trade & Convention Center’s legendary chocolate cake and southern sweet tea. Anna said that she appreciates the opportunities she gained from participating in GRSP and that she is looking for ways to pay it forward in thanks.

Our club members were so inspired by the alumni’s program, that in the following week they donated an additional $1,000 to the GRSP Foundation. Awesome! And something you might want to consider for your club.