Rotary Club Of Decatur Awards 3 Youth Exchange Scholarships

DECATUR, GA -- The Rotary Club of Decatur has awarded three prestigious Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarships to Keiko Ito, Molly Ann Soulen and Nikos Verlenden of Decatur High School in Decatur, GA. These scholarships, each valued at over $24,000, covers room, board, tuition and a monthly stipend for the 2019-2020 academic year.

In August 2019, the students will begin their role as global ambassadors when they depart for their year-long exchanges: Keiko in Argentina, Molly in India and Nikos in Spain. Between now and their departure, they will attend Decatur Rotary meetings and participate in extensive Rotary sponsored training for resiliency and cultural adaptation. Keiko, Molly and Nikos will also study their new languages and research their countries to prepare for their Rotary Youth Exchange year abroad.

Annually, 9,000 students worldwide, between the ages of 14 to 18 years old participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. The global program began in the 1920’s and its primary mission is to work towards peace and understanding the world. Rotary Youth Exchange Georgia District 6900 is in its third year of sending local students abroad and hosting international students here in Georgia.

Rotary Youth Exchange District 6900 is a member of the RYE Florida Inc., a multi-district including Rotary Districts from Florida and Georgia. RYE Florida provides economies of scale to manage regulatory issues, exchange with a larger number of countries, administer training, and share best practices.

RYE Florida has exchange agreements with over 34 countries and has an annual exchange ratio of 1:1 resulting in over 120 outbound and inbound students each year. Rotary Youth Exchange District 6900 is seeking potential host families in the greater Atlanta area for the 2019-2020 academic year. A host family will welcome an international student in their home for approximately 90 days. Our local host families are a vital part of the cultural exchange program.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Image L-R: Keiko Ito; Ashish Gupta, Decatur Youth Exchange Officer; Molly Ann Soulen and Nikos Verlenden. Credit Decatur Rotary