Last week we saw an inspiring example of Rotary's "return on investment" in education. Luciana (Luci) Storelli Castro's presentation was entitled "What Rotary Taught Me:Celebrating 20 Years of Rotary". In 2001 the Rotary International Exchange Program sent Luci to Germany for 1 year. At this time, Luci was a junior at Ft Collins HS. She stayed with 3 different hosts in that country, learning the language and the culture. Viewing the "relics" of Soviet rule in east Germany was particularly interesting. She saw the "German historical burden" of WW2 through her German student/friends as they reacted during a visit to the concentration camp at Buchenwald. This experience would serve as a lifelong reminder of "what not to do".
Next as a student at CSU, Luci was awarded a Rotary Ambassador Scholarship to Ghana. While there she had time to volunteer at Buduburam, a Liberian refugee camp. At Buduburam, Luci decided to focus her energies on helping young women, some of the most vulnerable members on camp, by starting a girls' soccer team. This experience in Ghana helped her "find comfort in the unfamiliar".
Next stop was in Bradford, England and Liberia as a Rotary Peace Fellow. In Liberia she was able to interview Liberians across social strata from "common" folk to government officials. In the wake of the prolonged Liberian civil war she learned the difference between "Just Peace" and "A Just Peace" (the latter referring to resolution with consequences for those who were identified as war criminals). She began to understand the delicate balance between justice and peace and the consequences for the future in those decisions.
All these experiences led to personal connections. A few examples-1. Solomon Jr, the son of a Liberian soccer coach. He was too poor to pay for the cost of school, so Luci was able to help and follow him to HS graduation. 2. Michael Johnson, raised by a single mom attends school because of Luci's financial support. 3. Abubacar Kamara whose education is supported by Luci and her mom.
So, Rotary invested in Luci and she invested in others and the best is yet to come as Luci finishes her PhD in International Relations. The interest in today's subject was evidenced by the Q&A which concluded 30 minutes after the official close of our meeting.