Where are they now?
As we wait impatiently for the arrival of Mavi, the incoming Short Term Exchange youth from Italy, and the good times she will have with Kingston’s Cammy, my thoughts turned back to a previous exchange we had with that country. Kingston’s Simon Campo and Italy’s Marco Parolin made a handsome pair riding Jon Sole’s red convertible in the July 4 parade. It is more difficult to check on Marco, but good news from Simon is at hand.Many of you will remember Simon, at that time a Junior at Kingston High School. Not satisfied with just being a star soccer player, he was an honor student and served as co-President of the KHS National Honor Society. Not to shun the arts, he is also a self-taught pianist and was studying digital graphics.
But what has become of him? He told us when applying for the exchange that his dream was “to see the world.” We have just heard from him and learn that he is still pursuing that dream. He is now finishing his second semester at the University of California at Berkeley, but will soon be heading abroad again. If all goes well he will spend his summer in South Africa studying at the University of Cape Town. His two courses are on social injustice and community development. In his words, he is “really excited to get to work with the local community.”
Now listen up, all you Kingston High students. Simon writes, “I hope more kids are getting involved with STEP. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience”. That is what Rotary exchanges are all about.