Lucas Fradet (left), Bryn Bender and Dorian Walker are Brookings High School students who will soon be leaving the country. The students are traveling to Norway, Germany and Brazil, respectively , through the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program.

Three Brookings High School students are leaving the country.

Dorian Walker, 17, Bryn Bender, 18, and Lucas Fradet, 17, will spend the next year in a foreign land as a part of the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program, said Pam Merchant.

Merchant is the youth exchange officer for District 5610, which encompasses all of South Dakota, portions of southwestern Minnesota, northwestern Iowa and northeastern Nebraska.

While the three students are away from home, soaking up the culture of another country, Merchant said, a Norwegian student , Even Kildal, will be staying in Brookings for a year.

In fact, while Fradet - Merchant's son - is in Norway, he'll stay with the Kildal family, and Kildal will make his home with the Merchants.

Merchant serves not only as exchange officer for the district, but for the Brookings club as well. She attends meetings all over the world, trading information with her counterparts in various countries.

According to Merchant, there are 42 Rotary clubs in 42 different cities just in District 5610 alone. Merchant is in her fifth year as a youth exchange officer.

The Rotary is an all-volunteerorganization , and Merchant is the person who encourages its board to sponsor students heading outbound and coming to the United States.

According to Merchant, students participating in the program are selected via a two-part process in which they are first interviewed by members of the Brookings Rotary Club. S t u d e n t s ' parents are also interviewed , separately and with their children. If the students are deemed good selections , they interview in a similar manner on the district level. No limits on program

"The students are only competing against themselves," said Merchant, "and not other students . We do not have a limit, or so many slots to fill, or anything like that."

The requirements for students be to accepted into the program are that they must be well rounded , said Merchant. They must also be adjustable and open to having a cultural experience.

"When students not chosen, typically they want to impose their cultural ideas on others," said Merchant. "We want people who want the experience, and can handle leaving home and going into a whole new experience, with a new language. We have to look for open-mindedness , and students who are mentally able to deal with this." Hosts are volunteers, too

Merchant said students pay their own traveling expenses in the program. She helps participants find host families to stay with, and Rotary supplies a $75 monthly allowance and pays for school lunches.

Host families on the local end are not paid to care for the students , as is customary in some exchange programs, Merchant said.

Walker leaves mid-July . He is going to go to Brazil, and, as a graduated senior from Brookings, he will be a senior in high school for an additional year.

That added year of high school doesn't faze him.

"I'm actually looking forward to another year of high school," he said.

"It will be better than spending a year in college, and there won't be any pressure to do well academically, so I can focus more on the experience and culture instead of getting passing grades, which I think will be especially difficult to do because of the language barrier."

Walker said he chose Brazil because he really didn't have a preference. There was a host family available there, so he said yes. Brazilian rhythms?

He added that he's most excited about experiencing a different culture and learning a new language . The place he is staying is supposed to be something of a cultural center, which couples well with his interest in music. He hopes to play in some ensembles while there. Walker plays the trombone, cello, drums, guitar, and other instruments. He plans to be a music industries major in college. "The fact that I don't know the language is scary. I've had no experience with any romantic languages and am just now learning Portuguese," said Walker. "But I think by the end of the year, I'll be capable of communication ."

Walker said he hopes to take a whole cultural experience out of the trip.

"I think we are not fully able to understand what's universal and what's unique," he said. "I think being able to distinguish and appreciate what's special about your country and others, and learning what we all have in common is interesting." To Norway in August

Fradet leaves to Norway in the beginning of August.

He said he chose the country because he likes the environment and enjoys snowboarding and winter. He also wanted to go to Europe, so he didn't specifically choose Norway; it just worked out that way. Fradet is most nervous about flying - he doesn't like it much.

"I'm most excited about learning the language and experiencing the culture," he said.

And missing his senior year in Brookings doesn't worry him much either.

Fradet says that he knows his first host family includes a dad, two brothers and a sister, and they live in Slependen. He will be staying with three host families and moving around, only in the same city, and he will still attend the same school.

Fradet said he hopes to take a good knowledge of the language , culture and friendships from the experience.

"I guess I just decided on the program because I saw other exchange students come to America and how fun it is for them, and watching their experiences made me want to try it as well," he said.

Bender leaves in September to Germany. She is also a graduated senior. Family's from area

Bender said she chose Germany because she has some friends there and just thought she might be near them. She ended up being placed on the other side of the country. "I did end up in the area that my family is from," Bender said. "And I think the history is interesting , the people are really nice, and the food is good. I love German food."

Bender has studied German for two years. She continues to do so now during her summer break.

"The language makes me most nervous, because the area I'm going speaks the craziest dialect ever," she said. "It sounds so weird, they pronounce things really different." 'More fun than college'

Bender said she thought about participating in the exchange program for a few years, and that it sounded like more fun than college. "I'm not bothered by doing another year of high school," she said. "I think it will help me in the long run, and I think it was a really good decision, because college will always be there."

Bender said she hopes to take from the experience a new language and culture, new friends, and a sort of a worldly knowledge , an understanding of how different cultures work. She also plans to try to see her German friends once or twice, if she can.

"I'm really glad I chose the Rotary - it's a great program," Bender said. "They really try to do everything for you and get you where you want to go."

Merchant is certain the experience will be enjoyable for the students . "This experience really changes their lives forever," she said.

"It absolutely, really jumpstarts their life. It offers way beyond what any college experience can offer a young person, because they can develop relationships , language skills and a whole knowledge of another country."

Contact Amanda Palluck at apalluck @brookingsregister.com.

For the complete article see the 06-05-2009 issue.

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