Every year a few students are chosen to go on exchange by Rotarians. This year, Kaila Avent, Lily Black, and Joanna Lopez Hernandez were all selected from an application and interview process. The initial application was due October 15th and if the applicant passed, there was an interview with local Rotarians. This was followed by a district interview in North Platte the weekend of November 11th and 12th. Here the students learned more about the exchange program and had more interviews along with having to give a speech in front of former exchange students. Then all of the applicants went out to eat, played laser tag, and spent the night in a cabin. Members of the Rotary committee observed them the whole night to see if the applicants made friends, were polite, and helped out with things. A week or so afterward, the final decisions were emailed and a few weeks later, the country assignments.
Avent has always wanted to study abroad. So when the opportunity came up, she applied in September.
“I found out I was accepted at around 11:30 pm and I almost screamed and woke up my entire family. I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up, so I’d nearly convinced myself I wouldn’t be accepted,” Avent said. “When I woke up in the morning I checked it again just to make sure I hadn’t dreamt it.”
Avent initially wanted to go to Spanish speaking country to improve her Spanish, but instead is being sent to Odisha, India and will try to learn Hindi and possibly some Odia.
“I’m excited for everything but I’m probably most excited for the culture. Indian culture is super different than ours so I know I’ll get to experience a ton of new things,” Avent said.
Black had decided by August that being an Exchange Student was for her.
“I looked into many exchange programs and decided Rotary was the best option for me because of the long-term relationship you have with Rotarians across the world,” Black said.
Out of Black’s top ten options, her number six was chosen. She will be spending her exchange year in Japan. She is currently learning Japanese on Mango and hopes to get Rosetta Stone for Christmas.
“The culture difference between the United States and Japan will be immensely different. I’ve never experienced anything different than my life in Nebraska. I think it is important for people to travel the world and see the different cultures and gain cultural appreciation for others,” Black said.
Lopez Hernandez applied for exchange knowing it was a great opportunity. She represented the United States as a youth cultural ambassador in Cyprus the summer of 2016. She studied many different things like climate change and environmental issues.
“The Cypriot culture is beautiful and has driven me to continue to studying abroad; this time for an academic year rather than a summer. I gained so much personal growth and experience a new perspective that I knew going on exchange was perfect for me,” Lopez Hernandez said.
She found out what country she was placed in a few weeks after her acceptance into the program. She will be spending her year in Italy.
“I was so excited that I started tearing up with tears of joy! My dream is finally coming true and I cannot wait to broaden my horizons and go on exchange,” Lopez Hernandez said.
