Hello, I’m Edward, but I go by my middle name, Soren. I am 16 years old and live in St. Augustine with my 2 dogs, brother and parents. I am the only member of my family born here in Florida and I will be attending my junior year of high school abroad in Japan.

I thoroughly enjoy most things, however, I especially enjoy sports, cooking/eating and the arts. Regarding sports, I especially enjoy combat sports and martial arts. I would consider myself a very open and an adventurous person regarding almost everything; especially when it comes to trying new foods and recipes. Lastly, I was in my schools’ theatre programs for four years before leaving sophomore year. As well as, having also studied music throughout my childhood and have learned tenor saxophone and piano.

I’ve always been in love with Asian cultures ever since I was little and hope to move abroad one day. One of the things that cemented my interest towards Asian cultures was my experience with ITF Taekwondo. During my time at my old dojang, I met practitioners who came from all across the world. This provided me with an outlet to learn about different martial arts and their cultures. While I’m abroad I hope to learn Japanese culture and language as much as possible.

Hello! My name is Janquil, but I usually go by Jay. I am 18 years old and from Newberry, Florida. I graduated from high school this year, and I’ll be spending my gap year in Brazil!

I was definitely that senior who put off figuring things out for too long. At the beginning of my senior year, I was still unsure about what I wanted to do after high school. Neither entering the workforce, going to college, nor joining the military seemed appealing. All I knew was that I didn’t want to end up somewhere I didn’t want to be just because I made a rushed decision.
When I found out about the Rotary Youth Exchange program, it was like a lifeline that gave me more of what I thought I had run out of: time. Eleven months after applying, I recognize it was the best decision I could’ve made. The process showed me that I am not limited to my city, state, or even country. Once I started exploring paths from a global perspective, I realized that I would love to start travelling the world while I’m young.
Through online college and digital nomadism, I hope to keep the travel ball rolling on once I return. I am incredibly grateful to have RYE as the first push, and am excited for the year ahead!

Hello, thanks for being here.

I’m honored to have been given an opportunity like this. Currently 16 years old, my roots stem from Jamaica, America, and Guyana. It’s in my philosophy to travel far and wide in hopes of constantly showing myself that there’s so much more out there.

Cultures provide such rich expression, and as a Rotary youth exchange student, I’ll be able to immerse myself in a way of life that I could have only imagined beforehand.

Sweden is a beautiful destination that geographically appears to be a fairytale. Their culture seems balanced, and I admire their education system for encouraging students to explore their genuine interests. I have a strong feeling that my time there will only reinforce my plan to become a massage therapist while I’m there, seeing as they have a progressive wellness field and are small business-friendly!

Outside of school, I’ve found purpose and community through karate, and by extension martial arts as a whole. Finding myself has been a journey, but having good people by my side has made the trip all the more worthwhile. In addition, I love to swim, explore nature, meditate, and scrapbook. I’m very thrilled to continue my martial arts journey abroad!

Something about Sweden calls to me. I can’t quite place it, but the concept of Fika sits perfectly with my soul. I’d like to experience that peaceful way of living and am excited to see what comes next.

I’m the youngest I’ll ever be, so why not embrace it to the fullest?

Tack, hej då!

Hello, I am 16 years old, and I am going to Switzerland for my Junior year. When I was younger, I moved around a lot. I was born in Gainesville, then moved to Ohio, , and finally back to Florida.

Both of my parents were born outside of the US; my mom is German, and my dad is Peruvian. Because of this, I feel I have always had an open mind about other people’s beliefs and ideas.

I am currently a dual-enrolled student, meaning I take high school classes and college classes. My goals with dual enrollment are to earn my AA by the time I graduate from high school. Aside from school, my favorite hobbies are cooking and baking. I’ve always loved cooking with my family, and it has become one of my favorite things to do.

The biggest reason I want to do an exchange year is due to my mom. When I was 12, she would tell me about her experiences abroad, and I decided in that moment I had to go on an exchange. You can imagine how devastated I was when I found out I had to be 16 to be able to go on an exchange. For a moment in my life, I was actually rethinking my dreams of doing an exchange year because I was afraid of missing out on all the things that were happening here. Then I went to a language camp in Spain. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I had met so many people from around the world and we had become great friends. When I got back to the US, all of my worries about an exchange year disappeared. It’s been two years since then and I’m finally about to start my exchange!