Sarah Stephenson

2012-13 Outbound to Germany

Hometown: Winter Park, FL

School: Winter Park High School

Sponsor: District 6980, FL

Host: District TBA, Germany

Sarah's Bio

Getting accepted into Rotary Youth Exchange had me doing cart wheels of joy. Finding out that I am going to live in GERMANY next year is what it might have felt like to have my childhood dream of a pet unicorn actualized. “I want to go somewhere new, be confused and have to figure it out for myself.” I wrote this eleven days before Scott Krogmann enlightened my future with Rotary Youth Exchange. I was in the midst of writing my senior autobiography, college essays, and waging internal sparring matches about my future. When Scott began his presentation, I imagined it was a scam. Hand over $20,000 and please, all the Nancy Normal Teenagers with straight A’s step forward. When he expressed that applicants were selected based upon character it was like a blaring neon sign screaming THIS WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR!



As a senior, it’s natural that I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my life; old friendships, memories and connections to my hometown. Most of my life has been lived in Winter Park, Florida a small town about forty five miles from the beach. In high school, I’ve spent much of my free time with my friends. We can be content for hours singing ourselves hoarse, passing the guitar back and forth and making up lyrics. Some of my favorite artists include Simon and Garfunkel, The Shins, Mumford and Sons, Bob Dylan and Maroon 5. Junior year I took guitar in school and mastered many chords, but not how to harmonize. As a result, my playing sounds hesitant and a little off, but I still have fun. My hope is to improve my strumming technique and master the dreaded F chord.



While some people have a poverty of love I have a wealth. At my mom’s house I live with my mom, step dad, and sometimes my stepbrother. This summer, dad is finally getting married to his girl friend of fourteen years. I'm ecstatic that she is finally going to be step mom and to inherit three step siblings. I am grateful to my tribe of a family for being so enthusiastically supportive of my Rotary Adventure and know that no matter how big a body of water separates us they will stick by me.



The experience that has prepared me most for Rotary are the six years I have volunteered at Pennsylvania Vent Camp, a one-week experience for children on ventilators to be carefree kids. Before I went to Vent Camp I thought a disability was a person’s defining characteristic, but I quickly learned otherwise. Every summer, boundaries were pushed and limits defied. Zip lines, water guns, and rock climbing brought adventure to confined lives. Now I know the human spirit can soar beyond the tethers of a wheel chair and confidence is always earned by taking the next step beyond comfort. This was true for me as well as the campers. Early on, I doubted my ability to bathe them and help them navigate the bathroom. However, after assisting them from sunrise to sunset, I realized that camaraderie and compassion are the nature of our being. They provide a connection that touches the soul. “I wish you were my sister,” one camper confided. This was the reward that I earned. Before Vent Camp I never realized that wisdom could be gained through such a simple experience as befriending a child less fortunate than me.



I am enthralled at the prospect of being an exchange student because I may broaden my limited perspective of foreign countries and achieve an intimate understanding of a culture that is influenced by interaction and not the media. The world is bent on categorizing each other. However, we are human beings, not products to be labeled and stuck on a shelf. We are constantly growing and evolving. No one can be pinned down or defined by a media-driven stereotype. If we embraced our differences rather than fear them, we would find that we have much to learn from one another. Undoubtedly, being a foreign exchange student is one of the most difficult challenges I will ever face, but through struggle, determination, and transformation I hope to gain insight into the generosity of the human spirit and a connection that reaches beyond borders.

Sarah- Outbound to Germany