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Media Coverage for Rotary Youth Exchange in Florida
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"It will help you grow as a person. I know I grew
as a person. It helps you to broaden your horizons and become open
minded."
Bahamian rebound student
Kristina Saunders
spoke to her sponsor Rotary Club, and was featured in an article by E.
D. Appiah, who also mentioned new inbound
Gabriel Abade. |
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"I like it here very much. But it's kind of
different from my country."
Reporter Tony Judnich interviewed inbound
Ivy Huang and host
mother/Rotarian Pat Shankle for this profile in the local Melbourne
newspaper. |
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"The climate in Florida is very different from her
native Belgium, where the temperature is in the 30s in winter with some
sunshine and summer temperatures are in the 70s."
The arrival and first month in the Fort Myers area for
Inbound Laura Van Gelder
is the subject of this article in the Collier Citizen local section of
the Naples News. |
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"There are a lot of challenges, but you have to
believe in yourself and welcome the challenges to gain the full
experience."
A quote from
Thore Fisker, in an
article by Chris Madden, looking back on Thore's year in Jacksonville. |
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"She was a little mixed on coming home again,
though happy to see her family. But now, she misses her European friends
and host families."
Summer
Wilcox talked about her year in France with writer James
Williams. |
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"My idea of United States was what I saw in the
movie. I didn't know really how United States was. In fact, I discovered
almost everything when I arrived here."
Inbound student
Kevyn Melon is featured
in an article by Glenda Jenkins, in this regional weekly newspaper. |
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When asked, "What is the best aspect you like about
being here?" Murphy responded without losing a heart beat, "Prices of
the clothes at the Mall. 50 percent off signs! I just love it!" Karagöz
very sincerely responded, "I just really love being here."
This monthly community newspaper featured inbounds
Destan Karagöz and
Kevin Murphy in a front page
article written by Karl Kennell. |
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"There are so many positive aspects to being in the
exchange program," Shah said at the welcoming event. "You grow mentally
and emotionally. The kids in the exchange program are more mature
because we can make decisions without our parents. You get to socialize
and you lend the hand to bridge between two countries."
Writer Jennifer Knoechel profiles new inbound
Nirali Shah and soon-to-be
outbound Taylor Bresnahan. |
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"Some people said they couldn’t imagine themselves
doing something like this and it was hard to understand how I could
leave everyone and everything to spend 365 days in a foreign country
among strangers… But for me I wasn’t just going to a foreign country
with different people and language, I was about to start the greatest
adventure of my life!"
An article written by (not about!) our Brazilian
inbound Elena Mascarenhas. |
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"Ahlen enjoys the eclectic tastes found in our
restaurants including the variety of cafes and stores. He likes our
pancakes and people. He will miss both, he says, when he returns home."
This front-page feature on Swedish inbound
Olof Ahlen was written by
Connie Lewis.
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"All the students agree that America is a little
different than what they expected. Roman Karkosch from Hanover, Germany,
said he used to think America equals McDonald's."
Writer Katie Nail interviewed six of our inbound students
about their experiences in northeast Florida. Featured in the story were
Akemi,
Nathalia,
Lucile,
Ida,
Victoria, and
Roman.
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Cover girl! |
"Mariana is a rising star in tennis, and before
she left Brazil she was ranked in the top-30 in the country in her age group."
Inbound student
Mariana Divardin is
profiled in this piece that made the cover of the local sports section.
Reporter Michael Lewis writes about Mariana's success as the number one
player on the New Smyrna Beach High School tennis team, and how she followed
in her mother's footsteps.
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"They
looked like typical American teenagers in a typical American school, but
Isabell Krehemeier and Geraldine Bless walked into a new world when Flagler
Palm Coast High School's fall term began."
Writer Michael Reed's story focuses on inbounds
Isabell Krehemeier and
Geraldine Bless and their first
few weeks here. Also mentioned are inbound
Mariana Divardin and
outbound Amber Ridgley.
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"While enjoying a game of bowling one recent afternoon,
Michael Williams was approached by the police. He'd noticed the manager
looking at him when he came in. He knew they all probably were wondering why
a 17-year-old wasn't in school."
Outbound
Michael Williams, getting ready to leave for Italy, is profiled by
reporter Lashonda Stinson. Mike sure looks great in his Rotary blazer!
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"Preparing to
embark on a year-long adventure, five Bartram Trail High students will be
leaving behind friends and family while looking to more clearly set their
sights on the future direction of their lives."
Terry Brown's article focuses on the five outbound
students from Bartram Trail High School in northwest St. Johns County,
including interviews of Mike
Murray, Hannah McKinney,
and Kerry Elison. |
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"Only four months after arriving as a Jacksonville
exchange student at the resort island of Phuket, Thailand, Jacob Dobbs
woke up to a deadly Indian Ocean tsunami. The Arlington student stayed
in the region, volunteering after the disaster that claimed roughly
220,000 lives. On Saturday, he was surprised by family and friends at a
welcome-home party." A follow-up story by
Beth Kormanik on outbound
Jacob Dobbs and his return to Jacksonville after his exchange in
Thailand. Six months earlier, he found himself right in the middle of
the area where the deadly tsunami hit. |
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"While
the world looks on in anguish and disbelief at the rising tsunami death
toll and wonders why, Jacksonville native Jacob Dobbs has no doubt about
why he is in the middle of the destruction and misery."
Just a few days after the Indian Ocean tsunami, T-U
reporter Jeff Brumley connected with our outbound
Jacob Dobbs, hosted in
Phuket, Thailand, one of the hardest hit areas. This story and Jacob's
picture were on the newspaper's front page. |
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"Dreams
do come true. Ask Bruno Lopes of Brazil, who expressed his desire, at
the age of 10, to live with Starke residents Arley and Gladys McRae as
an exchange student."
This local paper ran a wonderful profile by writer
Cliff Smelley, on inbound student
Bruno Lopes about a
month after he arrived in Florida. |
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"Three years ago Sam Motley relocated to High
Springs...Now Motley is on the move again and this time, he is going not
only by himself, but he is leaving the country."
Outbound student
Sam Motley is the
focus of this story by reporter Cliff Olsen. |
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"Ten Alachua County high school students will
embark on Rotary Youth Exchange visits to other countries for an
academic year starting later this summer. "
Writer Rob Oglesby wrote about all the Gainesville-area students in our
2004-05 outbound class. |
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"As Clay County
folks field teams for the upcoming Relays for Life, one teenager should
win a diversity recruitment award, if there was such a thing. Agethe
(pronounced Ah-get) Lamouret, a 16-year-old French foreign exchange
student staying in Clay County, is attempting to field a team of teens
from France, Turkey, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Thailand and Poland."
Inbound
Agathe Lamouret is featured in this article by reporter Mary Maraghy,
for her efforts in support of the annual American Cancer Society Relay
for Life held at her high school. |
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"When people ask Bartram Trail High School student
Tierney Elison what she did on her vacation, the Fruit Cove teen can
truthfully say she flew down to Rio ... and fished for piranhas, visited
the waterfalls of Iguassu and hiked in jungles and caves. "
Outbound
Tierney Elison
was interviewed by reporter Dan Scanlan about her exchange year in
Brazil. |
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"Tierney Elison should be finishing her unpacking
about now, as she begins a year-long visit to Brazil. "
Times-Union writer Dan Scanlan profiled outbound
Tierney Elison
at the beginning of her exchange. |
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"Luis Ochoa smiles knowingly when asked about the
differences in holiday customs between Ecuador and the United States."
Inbound student
Luis Ochoa
discusses his experiences in an American Christmas in this article by
Lamar Thames. |
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