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Youth Exchange
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Rotary Youth Exchange is a program of Rotary International that sponsors high school students ages 15-19 to live in a foreign county. There are two separate programs. The summer exchange program allows a student to visit a foreign country and live with a student's family for one month. The student from that country then comes to the other student's home country for one month and lives with that student's family. The other program is for one year. The student in the one year program lives in a foreign country for one year and goes to the local school, lives with host families and immerses herself/himself in the culture of that country. More than 8,000 students in 80 countries participate in these Rotary sponsored programs each year, sharing their culture and embracing a new one.  The Rotary Club of Highlands has been a sponsor and participant in both of these student exchange programs for many years.

 

 


 

On August 1, 2017 former Highlands Rotary Club Rotary Youth Exchange participants Kalob Payne (left) and Samuel Craig spoke at our weekly meeting about how much their year in a foreign country meant to them.They are shown with President Trevathan.

Both young men are starting their senior year in college. Our club is proud of our sponsorship of these young men and our long history of involvement in the Youth Exchange program.

 

 


 

 

Matheus joined us at our regular weekly meeting in June, 2017.
He is shown with Rotary member Jerry Moore. 

 


 

         

 

On April 4, 2017 Matheus visited our weekly meeting. Photo shows President Ross, Past President Kelly and President -Elect Trevathan with Matheus at the meeting.

 

 

 

         

 

 Matheus with several members at our meeting on April 4, 2017.


 

 

 

Matheus gives a Brazillian hug to Rotary member Diane McPhail.

 

 


 


 

          

 

Matheus joined us at our regular weekly meeting on December 6, 2016. He is attending Highlands School, is participating in many activities and has adjusted well. He is pictured with Rotary members Mike Murphy and Gary Warren.


 

 

          

 Matheus attended our regular weekly meeting on December 6. He is shown with our club President Hank Ross and 2018-19 District Governor Isaac Owolabi.


 


 

          

 Matheus is fitting right in at Highlands School.

 


 

 

          

 August, 2016

Our Youth Exchange student from Brazil, Matheus Montesm, was met at the Asheville airport by Rotarian Bob Henritze, Heather Satterwhite (the mother of our outgoing exchange student Cole Satterwhite), and Rotary President Hank Ross.


 

          

August, 2016

Our club's Youth Exchange student Matheus Montesm arrived recently in Highlands from Brazil. He will be in Highlands for a year and will attend Highlands School.

He is already hard at work and helped club members at a recent Highlands School PTO presentation.

 

 

 

 

 August, 2016

 Hank Ross, President of the Rotary Club of Highlands, with Matheus Montesm, our Rotary Exchange student from Brazil.

 

 


 

         



 Cole Satterwhite, a rising junior at Highlands School, will be our club's exchange student for 2016-17. He will leave in July, 2016 to spend a year in Brazil. He is shown with Bob Henritze, chairman of our Youth Exchange committee, at a recent weekly club meeting where Cole was the featured speaker. 


 

              

Rachel Power joined her father, Rotarian Randy Power and President Kelly for lunch at our meeting on March 15, 2016.  Rachel was our club sponsored Rotary Exchange student several years ago and spent a year in Chile. We are proud of all she has accomplished.

 

 


 

Chance Gilbert has returned from his year in Switzerland and on October 27, 2015 spoke to our club about his experience. He is shown with Rotary Exchange Chair Bob Henritze and President Christy Kelly.

 


 

Chance Gilbert, our club's exchange student for 2014-15, is spending his year in Switzerland. He spoke to our club prior to leaving Highlands and is shown with Christy Kelly, chair of our Youth Exchange committee.

 


 

Chance (center)  with new friends in Switzerland. Youth Exchange allows Chance, from a small town in North Carolina, to meet new people and broaden his idea of the world.

 

 

Chance with fellow students in Switzerland.

 

 

Chance (center) skiing with friends.

 

 

Skating in Switzerland.

 

 

In 2013-14 our club sponsored Kalob Payne, who lived in Spain for one year.

 

Kaleb pictured on left

 

A message from Rotary Youth Exchange Student Kalob Payne (left in the photo above):

 

Hola desde España,
Spain is more than I could have ever imagined!! I've been here for a month and a half now, and everything is just amazing from the food to the architecture of the buildings! I've done and seen so much it's hard to believe its only been this short amount of time. My friends here are incredible, both my exchange student friends and my Spanish friends. My family is the coolest! They do so much for me, and I feel like I'm already part of their family! I miss my family in the USA, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. Surprisingly I miss the sounds of rain and thunderstorms because it hasn't rained once since I've been here. I'm including some pictures.

Sincerely,
Kalob Payne

for real-time updates from Kalob, please follow his blog at: http://kalobpayne.wordpress.com

 


Kalob visited our club in July, 2014 and thanked our club and Rotary for sponsoring his year in Spain. 

 

 

Kalob Payne spoke to our club on October 7, 2014 about his recent year in Spain and is shown with the members of our Rotary Youth Exchange committee and President Ray.

 

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Kalob with Christy Kelly, chair of our Youth Exchange committee and past President Rick Reid.

 

 

Angeline Raffine, a youth exchange student from France, spent a year in Highlands. She is shown with Rotary members Robert E. Smith and Pat Taylor at a weekly Rotary meeting.

 

 

Angeline with several Rotary members at a weekly meeting.

 

 

 

Hayden Bates and Samuel Craig were exchange students sponsored by our club. Hayden spent a year in Argentina and Samuel spent a year in Turkey. After they returned to Highlands they gave presentations to our club about their experiences.They are shown with Rotary President Bill Futral.

 

 

 

 

 

Rachel Power (2nd from left), a student from Highlands, spent a year in Chile. She gave a report on her year abroad at one of our weekly meetings and was welcomed home by several Rotary members from our club.