Junior Casey Vaughn is selected to study in a South American country for next school year

By Rachel Boyd

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While on a campus visit to Kenyon College, junior Casey Vaughn received news that she, along with junior Jackson Whiteker, had been selected to study in a South American country next school year, as an ambassador with the Rotary Interact Exchange program.
“I was in this little building waiting to go on the campus tour when I got my email (from the program). I started freaking out and jumping up and down; I was so ecstatic. I think I smiled for a week straight,” Vaughn said.
Although Vaughn does not find out which country in South America she will be traveling to until late January, she said her top three choices are Argentina, Brazil and Chile. During her exchange, she said, she will be attending school and learning about her chosen country’s culture, among other things.
“You have three different host families, each one for about three to four months, and then you attend regular school there,” Vaughn said. “You can do any activities you want so if you like play a sport, you can play your sport there, but you also meet the locals and do local cultural things. A lot of the stuff is organized by the Rotary Club.”
After making the decision to be an exchange student in South America, Vaughn had to undergo an application process.
“You have to find a club to sponsor you, like I’m being sponsored by the Carmel Rotary, and that means they’ll back you up and sign papers for you and things like that, so that’s one major step,” Vaughn said. “Then the rest is an interview that’s an hour long so they can get a feel for you and see if they think you can handle an exchange and represent the rotary well. That’s the main thing, and then the actual application is just information like your name and address and things like that.”
Vaughn also had to write a detailed introductory letter in which she discussed information such as the activities she is involved in and the people she is friends with. Along with the letter, she had to send a letter of recommendation and pictures of herself.
Applying was not the only challenge Vaughn initially faced once she decided to pursue a foreign exchange program. She said that by taking the initiative of looking up the program and filling out the application, she convinced her parents to consider the exchange.
Vaughn’s mother, Jamie Campbell said, “When she said she wanted to do it I was unsure because I didn’t really know about the program or anything like that. We were taking it one step at a time, but the more we learned about the Rotary program, the more we saw that it was very organized and she would be very safe. I found out that grown-ups I know went on exchange when they were kids so that helped a lot in making us feel safe and secure about sending her. Then we talked with the Rotary people and that made us feel even better. We’re very supportive of it now.”
As a first-time traveler to a foreign country, Vaughn has prepared herself by talking to others that have participated in the Rotary Exchange, such as junior Olivia “Morgan” Duca, who went on exchange to Germany last year, as well as foreign exchange students who are studying in the United States this year.
“I feel like the only thing I’m worried about is being homesick just because you’re gone for so long and you don’t speak the language,” Vaughn said. “That’s probably the biggest challenge, but I feel like talking to other people that have been through it helps me to know that it’s going to be okay. You also have a counselor there to help you get through that stuff.”
Although she has concerns, Vaughn said her excitement outweighs them. She said, “From every person I’ve talked to that has gone on exchange, I haven’t heard a single bad thing about it, so I’m really excited to have this amazing experience.”