Since 1972 the Rotary clubs of Traverse City have sponsored and hosted hundreds of exchange students.   Rotary Youth Exchange is a signature Rotary program for students ages 15 – 19, worldwide.  Eligible students have the opportunity to live and attend school in a foreign country for one academic year.  The experience combines Rotary’s dedication to supporting strong youth development and helping build life-long leadership skills, with a commitment to promoting greater understanding through international contact and communication. For the 2024/25 academic year Brady Johnsen, Teaghan Gorsline, Fiona Colliver, Jacob Romeyn and Gwendolyn Kudlack spent a year abroad. They became bridges between cultures, carrying their host countries back to Traverse City while taking Michigan values around the world. Here is a glimpse of a year that changed them forever.