During our recent Rotary Youth Exchange trip to Disneyland in California, we experienced a moment that truly captured the power of Rotary. 

Dressed in our custom t-shirts featuring Mickey Mouse ears atop the Rotary logo, we paused in front of the iconic Disney castle for a photo. While waiting, our French inbound student sparked a spirited debate with a Disney cast member over which castle was better—California or Paris. The cast member passionately defended the California castle as the original, sharing that Walt Disney himself walked through its halls (a feat never replicated in Paris!). 

This fun exchange led to an unexpected conversation about Rotary and Youth Exchange. The cast member, with a personal connection to Rotary, decided to do something extraordinary. They went above and beyond, clearing the area so we could capture a perfect, centered shot of the castle—an experience that’s nearly impossible at Disneyland! 

💙 Moments like these remind us of the incredible connections, opportunities, and lifelong memories Rotary Youth Exchange creates. It’s about more than travel—it’s about friendships, shared experiences, and the magic of a global community. 

Thank you to the Disney cast member who made this unforgettable memory possible! ✨ 

Living overseas as a high school student can be a tough thing for anyone, including the strongest willed and strongest minded. I know many people that have said they would love to go on exchange, but they would miss their friends too much or would fail immediately. I thought this as well going into my exchange, as I felt relatively unprepared in comparison to other exchange students I have seen, past and present. There were even moments where I considered dropping out! Leaving my friends and family behind to live in a foreign country with virtually no knowledge of the language was, without a doubt, the most challenging thing I have done. But I saw it through, and I never looked back....