GSE Team Visits

Posted by Tom Breen 
 

Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team Visit

    At our recent meeting on May 9, Past President Pat VerPlank introduced our guests from the Philippines, here as part of the Group Study Exchange between District 7120 and District 3790.

     Our inbound exchange team leader is Rotarian Agerico (Eric) Rodruiquez, 58.  Eric is the president of Agerico Export Corp., makers of needlepoint canvases.  He was once President of his club (2005-06) and has served as Assistant Governor (2008-09) and District Secretary (2009-10). 
 
     The team members for this exchange are:
  • Edwin Concepcion, Jr., 31.  Edwin is the Director, Office of Legal Affairs, Executive Assistant to the President, and Associate Professor at the University of Northern Philippines.
  • Maria Cielo Sarion, 28.  She is a Medical Social Worker and Child Protection Specialist at Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center.
  • Cindy David, 40.  She is a pediatrician and a diplomate of the Philippine Pediatric Society.
  • Annabelle Sim, 40, who is an author of textbooks.

    The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

 
   An example of the ways the GSE experience helps foster goodwill and peace through cultural exchange happened during this team’s visit to our district.  During the week before they came to our club, they were hosted by the Fairport Rotary club.  During a visit to the Golisano Children’s Hospital, Dr. David was impressed with the hospital’s “Giraffe Incubators.”  These incubators are very high-tech and not inexpensive.  Dr. David asked many questions about the incubators, as the hospital where she works is still using antiquated incubators, which have been in service for many, many years.  A couple of days after their visit, she received a call from a social worker at Golisano Children’s Hospital, informing her that the hospital would be donating two Giraffe Incubators to her hospital in the Philippines.  Such a generous donation would not have happened without the visit the GSE program provided.


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Pictured, left-right:  Edwin Concepcion, Eric Chapman, Annabelle Sim, Pat VerPlank, Cielo Sarion, Cindy David, Eric Rodriguez
 

 
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