Ambassadorial Scholar - Rachel Young

Last spring, Rachel Young was selected by District 6220 to receive an Ambassadorial Scholarship. She will be traveling to Taipei, Taiwan in August to go to National Taiwan University and study in the International Chinese Language Program. Rachel is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has a brother who is studying at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Her father works for 3M Company and her mother is a dental assistant. She came to Appleton to study at Lawrence University where she will be graduating in June with a double major in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Rachel will be the first in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Rachel received a $27,000 scholarship from District 6220 / The Rotary Foundation. This helps fund her tuition (at an institution of her choice in the country RI places you), living expenses, airfare and money to travel to and from Rotary events. Rachel is required to give 10 talks to Rotary Clubs around Taiwan and talks when she returns. She attended an orientation in Austin, Texas where she learned how to be an ambassador between Rotary clubs. Taiwan is an island about the same size as Wisconsin and is part of the People’s Republic of China. Taipei has a population of 6,218,227 people. Rachel is assigned to District 3520. Most clubs have dinner meetings versus lunch meetings. Rachel hopes to be involved in some of their youth programs. When Rachel returns, she hopes to go to the Monterey Institute of International Studies and pursue a master’s degree in interpreting and translating. She would like to become an interpreter. This scholarship will be instrumental in Rachel being able to complete these goals.

The 2010-2011 class of Ambassadorial Scholars received $9.6 million through individual grants through The Rotary Foundation. Since 1947, a total of $532 million has been awarded to 41,000 men and women. The scholarships sponsor undergraduate and graduate students, as well as qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the country where they study and give presentations about their own culture to Rotary clubs and other groups. Back home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that deepened their understanding of another culture. The Ambassadorial Scholarships program promotes international understanding and friendly relations among people of different parts of the world. Through their generous contributions, Rotarians worldwide show a continued faith that today’s scholars will be tomorrow's community and world leaders.