"Class, if any of you don't have plans for after you graduate, you should consider applying for this Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. It's a chance to travel across the world and learn. I really encourage you to think about it and, if any of you think you may be interested, let me know."
It was the fall of 2006, and I was sitting in Dr. Mark Hanley's history class. Did I have any set plans for after graduation? No. Did I have any set plans for the next hour? Hardly. I was a college student, newly returned from a semester in Italy, and I would have done anything to get to experience yet another adventure filled with learning, culture, and curiosity. My future was wide open; this was perfect. To make a long story short, several interviews and many months later, I was a grateful recipient of a 2008-2009 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship.
It seems like it's been a lifetime since I applied for this opportunity. Years have passed, and I have grown both personally and intellectually. I wondered for a while if all of these changes in me would, in turn, change how I felt about moving to South Africa for a year. And now that I am here on the verge of departure, I can see that I have never been more prepared to leave. On February first, as a new month begins, so will my greatly anticipated adventure. I am thrilled to finally commence my journey in Johannesburg (affectionately referred to as Jo'burg by locals).
Some of you may be wondering exactly what a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar is or does. The Ambassadorial Scholarship Program is a leading project of the Rotary Foundation, as well as the oldest. Since 1947, nearly 38 thousand people from about 100 nations have been sent abroad to study, learn, and share. According to the Rotary website (rotary.org), this is now the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. The purpose of this scholarship program is "to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas (rotary.org)." The Scholarships cover a range of people from undergraduate and grad students to teachers and other qualified professionals. These scholars act as goodwill ambassadors while abroad, giving presentations to Rotary clubs about their country of origin. One of the greatest parts of being a Rotary scholar, though, is serving and learning about the host country. Upon their return home, Ambassadorial Scholars meet with Rotarians and various other groups to share about what they have experienced and learned.
I have been sponsored by the Schuyler County Rotary Club, District 6040 in Schuyler County, Missouri. My sponsor counsellor, Liz Reel, and the rest of the club have been very kind, generous, and supportive in my quest towards the fruition of this experience. I know that they will continue to be just as wonderful throughout my time abroad. I will be attending the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa as a masters student in International Relations. My host counsellor is Andre Hattingh from the Bedfordview Rotary Club, District 9300 in Bedfordview, South Africa. He, too, has been extraordinarily kind and helpful. I look forward to meeting him and the rest of his Rotary Club upon my arrival.
My future is bright and a tad mysterious - I am excited to share it with all of you!
