Healthcare Executive Says Rotary Youth Exchange Changed Her Life

Progeny Health CEO Susan Torroella recently told Columbia-Patuxent Rotarians how the Rotary Youth Exchange program she experienced as a teenager has shaped every facet of her life since that time. She was guest speaker at one of the club’s breakfast meetings.

Susan said she grew up in Lancaster, PA, where a newspaper article concerning an exchange student from India sparked her interest in exploring diverse cultures while living overseas. After passing an application interview, she was assigned to spend a year with a Rotary host family in Brazil, eager to learn a new language, new customs/traditions, and to make new friends.

Sent to a small town where little English was spoken, Susan initially struggled with language, but immersion allowed her to rapidly acquire Portuguese: by three months she was nearly fluent, and by six months, locals mistook her for a native.

She lived with two Brazilian host families and related cultural differences including doing laundry manually with a washboard, reliance on letters for family communication (with long delays), and enjoying the Brazilian custom where a person with a birthday treats everyone else to a meal.

Susan described the warmth and community of Brazilian society, the closeness of the family unit, and the strong bonds with other international exchange students. She also attended evening Rotary meetings where she was welcomed despite the all-male membership prevalent at that time.

Susan believes Rotary Youth Exchange influenced her decision to pursue an International MBA, provided the foundation for her global marketing career, and made her more adaptive, culturally aware, and open-minded. It’s been pivotal to her personal and professional success, enriching her worldview and giving her the ability to appreciate and adapt to cultural subtleties.

She began her career working on maternal and infant public health initiatives in West Africa. She’s received professional awards, has lived in Africa, Brazil and Spain, and speaks Spanish, Portuguese and French.

She closed her speech to the Columbia-Patuxent club with these words: “My entire career and the leadership roles I’ve had since then … Brazil is the foundation. “I'm so grateful to Rotary. I'm grateful for that entire experience. I would do it again and again.”

Columbia-Patuxent Rotary is the largest and most active of the seven clubs in Howard County. Meetings are held each Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. at JAM Eateries.