Rotarians Meet Exchange Student
Submitted by Dr. D. Michael Hart
On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, the Rotary Club of Westfield welcomed Letitia Tavares, a 16-year-old exchange student they are sponsoring. Letitia made a presentation to the club and answered questions about her American experience since her arrival in August.
Hailing from a town near Sao Paulo, Brazil, Letitia is currently a Junior in Westfield High School. She is hosted by the family of Mark Wright, a Rotarian. Mark was in the Rotary student exchange program as a teenager and spent a year in Germany. Mark and his wife have three high school age daughters, for which Letitia is grateful. Letitia only has a younger brother back home, and told the club she enjoys being with three girls her age.
Letitia’s native language in Brazil is Portuguese. She told the club that while she has been learning English in school since the age of 10, it was more formal, and not conversational. Her teachers in Brazil helped her learn how to speak more naturally last year when she knew she was coming to the United States. She has also taken three years of Spanish and has started to learn Italian.
She learned about the Rotary Student Exchange Program because her family sponsored an exchange student from Mexico in their home. Secondly, her cousin went to Michigan as a Rotary exchange student. Letitia participated in the Rotary Interact Club at her high school in Brazil, which gave her more information about the program.
Letitia said that she has integrated into Westfield High School easily. She finds the students welcoming and interested in her background. She has volunteered to be in the school play, helping with the crew in both costumes and dance.
She meets once a month with other Rotary Exchange students nearby. She finds that sharing common experiences with them helps her to adjust to life in the US.
In response to questions from club members, the things she likes best about America is that you can choose your subjects in school and apple pie, which is not found in Brazil. She said that Westfield is charming, very clean, and she enjoys the community events. The thing she likes least is the weather, as winters are relatively mild in her part of Brazil. She has never seen snow, and did not like the cold rainy weather the day of the meeting.
Westfield School Superintendent Ray Gonzalez, a Rotarian, welcomed Letitia, and complimented her on her courage to travel here and speak to us and her poise. He points out that we learn as much from her as she learns from us.
The Rotary Club of Westfield meets the first three Tuesdays of each month for lunch at Limani Seafood Grill on North Ave at Noon. Guests are always welcome. For information check out the website westfieldrotary.com or contact club secretary Michael Hart by email at drmhart@yahoo.com.
Courtesy photo
