I have been involved in Rotary International since the age of 14. This program has played a giant part in my life. It was the program I went through to become an exchange student. Rotary International is a tight-knit community that connects outstanding individuals with news experiences and ways to put “service above self.” Along with various international projects, like eradicating polio, Rotary manages foreign exchange student programs. Annually, thousands of students from around the globe trade places and experience new cultures they have never seen before. Along with learning more about a different culture, these teenagers are assigned to the job of an ambassador for their country. Rotary has served me for years, and I decided it was time to give back to this community. For an entire week, I took on the responsibilities as a Rotex. A Rotex is a Rotary mentor that has previously had a successful exchange and wishes to pass on the knowledge to the next generation of ambassadors. For 5 days, I did my best to prepare my assigned students for the life-changing experience they were about to embark upon. In a small town in Arkansas, we guided our students along and helped them through each lecture and activity that was thrown at them during camp. We Rotex opened our hearts to these students and told them everything we could about exchange and how to best prepare for it. We organized the schedules, and guided the pupils. After a day’s activities, the Rotex stayed up in meetings that lasted until 3 in the morning. The best part about this community service was seeing my students grow drastically from shy teenagers to outgoing ambassadors. I look forward to seeing them flourish abroad as I did two years ago. One challenging aspect of this community service was trying to stay awake and function properly on 4 hours of sleep and two cups of coffee. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. Hopefully, I will be chosen to be national Rotex again this upcoming year.
