After graduating from Cody High School last year, Jarrett Christler decided to go on a foreign exchange trip. 

“I decided to go after my senior year because I didn’t want to miss out on any senior opportunities like sports and academics,” Christler said. “I don’t regret doing so. I had Brazil as one of my top choices because of the food, culture, and soccer.”

The Rotary Club is an organization that focuses on community service and making a difference in the world. Our local club offers opportunities for students like Christler to experience the world through a different lens.

“The Rotary is awesome both in the United States and here in Brazil,” Christler said. “Everyone is very kind and very helpful.”

Since he graduated last year, Christler decided to take a lighter workload in school, opting to explore the culture of Brazil more. Each day, Christler goes to school from 7 a.m.–12:30 p.m. He then goes to the gym, followed by kickboxing class or soccer. On the weekend, he enjoys hanging out with his host family and friends and eating Brazilian barbecue. 

“Before coming here, I didn’t study a lot of Portuguese,” Christler said. “But I can understand quite a lot now. The people here don’t speak a lot of English, so I’ve had to force myself to learn a lot, but I am far from fluent.”

Terry Collins is the youth exchange coordinator for the Powell Rotary Club. Each year, the club brings in one or two international students to Powell. This year, the exchange student at PHS is Kitjanut “Bucky” Chaleamvisutkun from Thailand. 

“I have enjoyed the people here in Powell,” Chaleamvisutkun said as he ate lunch with a group of friends. “They are nice people. The nature in Wyoming is pretty, and I enjoy trying new food here, too.”

While many international students choose to study in the United States, students at Powell High School can also apply to go on foreign exchanges through the Rotary Youth Exchange. This can either be a long-term exchange in another country for the school year or shorter family-to-family exchanges over the summer. 

In many instances, the Powell Rotary Club sponsors high school students from other schools in Wyoming and Colorado because Powell High School students have not been applying to go abroad. 

For long-term exchange students, the Rotary Club looks for good students, preferably from the top 30% of their class and ages 15 to 18 ½ at the time of exchange. Applicants are evaluated for maturity and readiness, cultural curiosity, and in some cases, language skills. 

There is a comprehensive application process, followed by in-person interviews. Students can be matched to 20+ countries. This year, District 5440 sent ten students abroad. Before Covid-19, the number was typically around 20. 

The scholastic and cultural exchanges cost around $6,200 for long-term programs, which is relatively affordable compared to many study-abroad programs. 

Collins elaborated about how capable students can become on foreign exchange. She mentioned that students become confident in maneuvering travel, adapting to new environments, and building life-long connections. 

“When those kids come back, they’re changed people… they’ve conquered a year abroad,” Collins said. “They quite often figure out what they want to study when they’re on exchange.”

Her own daughter went on a Rotary Exchange to France about 20 years ago. She believes this experience has helped shape her daughter’s path, as she has lived in China and Italy and has also worked for the United Nations World Food Programme. 

“The kids that come back from these exchanges are very confident, very capable,” Collins said. “They’ve learned a new language… and it opens doors.”

Family-to-family exchanges are much shorter, with about one month spent abroad and another month hosting a student. Costs include a district fee of roughly $125, about $40 for insurance and the price of airfare. The program offers a flexible timeline and has no language requirements.

The Rotary Club also offers a week-long youth leadership program in Estes Park, Colorado. It is called the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and the Powell Rotary will sponsor and cover costs for some middle and high school students to attend. It boasts leadership activities and team-building, as well as a climbing wall, swimming pool, and horseback riding. 

The Rotary Club meets on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. at NWC Nelson House on 550 College Drive, or you can find them on rockymountainrotary.org.