2016-09-01 Rotary Arizona Outbound Youth Ambassadors 2016-17

 
Rotary Arizona Outbound Youth Ambassadors 2016-17
By Bill Beamish - RYE Chair D5510 (2014-2017)
 
At times we feel that our work with these "Cream of the Crop" Rotary youth does not make a difference.  Those feelings are a natural phenomenon.  Our efforts can be likened to that of a gardener who prepares the garden soil then plants the various seeds.  As the gardener cares for the newly planted garden, signs of the care and nurturing become slightly evedent at first but as the care continues the seeds grow into mature productive plants providing all sorts of good stuff.
 
Likewise, leadership is developed not born and the Rotary RYE counselors are a huge part of the process of forming these Cream of the Crop Rotary youth into future leaders. 
 
Each student comes to us at a different starting point and will have different growth experiences (for lack of a better term) during their year.  Some make huge strides (because perhaps they started further behind others that were more privileged with a wide range of experiences) and others take smaller steps.  I know that not all of our students will go on to be the most amazing, but I do know that we have definitely prepared them to move forward with more skills than those they arrive with.  Of course, there are some that we wonder why did we send them abroad.  Did they learn anything?  I believe if you were to talk to many of them ten or twenty years later the information they could provide to you would be very different than that of what they can provide today.
 
 
The following is courtesy of Cindy Harrison (Download a Copy of Cindy's comments)
The area I wanted to address is the great young leaders that have been involved in RYE and how we have absolutely impacted them today. 
 
D5510 can proudly look to Andrea who for the last year taught English in Thailand and is currently working in Australia.  I think of Ethan who has proudly served for 4 years in the coast guard and is looking forward to a career in the military. 
 
We have Rosemary who is currently in Luxemburg doing an internship at the embassy there. 
 
Austin is in his senior year at ASU and is president of the young democrats club and has worked closely on several political campaigns as well as last summer having an internship in Washington D.C. 
 
We have Regina, who you know from our Outbound camp who is now a Rotarian and using her language skills in her current place of employment and would not have gotten that job without RYE experiences that she has had. 
 
I look to our young man from Scottsdale, Daniel, who is a Fulbright scholar and just returned from India. 
Italy Ana from outbound camp is now in Brazil working in the slums and trying to make her world a better place.
 
Angel from outbound camp is also a Rotarian.  She has been active in RYLA, Interact, Rotaract and now as a Rotarian.  She works with the Flame Tree Initiative with her previous U of A professors. 
 
D5500 has a young man currently in the Peace Corp and worked previously for the United Way in the Phoenix area (my hats off to him and his service). 
 
I saved my favorite for last, Darcy.  She is a mother of 3, started a home based business and is doing an amazing job of raising the next generation of loving, kind caring citizens of the world with her husband. 
 
I look at the staff in my school; two of them are former RYE students and are leading our children every day. 
 
I did not see the future of these amazing individuals when they were sent abroad, but have been blessed to see it as time has passed. 
 
I wish I were going to live long enough to still know each of these young adults when they are 60 to see all they do and accomplish in their respective areas.