Celebrating Women of Rotary…
MEET ALICE SILVA OUR FIRST ROTARY EXCHANGE STUDENT
Last Tuesday, we had our club’s first Rotary Exchange Student speak to the club. Alice Silva – returned to give an update on her life and experiences since her 2007/2008 Northbrook trip.
The Rotary Exchange program proved to be more than just the opportunity to learning a new language. It instilled a sense of community involvement and cultural immersion. Alice says she loved Northbrook and fully enjoyed her experience as a high school student at GBN.
She was hosted by 3 Rotary families: Pat and Kathy Doland, Vera and Marie Mayer, and Carlos and Sandy Frum for 3-4 months each over the year. Alice felt this rotation gave her a more rounded perspective of American life.
No stranger to global exchange programs, Alice’s grandparents were the first in her family tree to be exchange students, and the tradition was carried on to their children and then their grandchildren. Almost all of Alice’s family members have participated as foreign exchange students. She says they originally came to learn another language and independence.
Her experience taught her many things, including:
- Leadership skills – public speaking, decision making and responsibility
- A new culture & language – she even got to experience other parts of the US through a trip to the west coast with other Rotary Exchange Students
- Serving the community – she participated in community events and learned a sense of how we are all connected
- Being thankful – she learned the importance of being thankful by sending thank you notes to all who offered her acts of kindness and assistance
Global experience – in addition to her US experiences, she participated in monthly meetings with exchange students from around the world. Today she is a Radiation Therapist, a wife and mother. She says that she has incorporated the 4-way test to vet her decisions as she goes through life.
Please check out our Rotary Facebook page and watch the meeting. Alice has included wonderful photos of her time here in Northbrook!