Help Support Christian’s Life-Changing EuroTour Experience

Hey! My name’s Christian, and I’m a rising sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia. I’m preparing to spend a full year in Sweden as a Rotary exchange student. Rotary is an international civic organization with a mission to promote peace through mutual understanding. I’m incredibly fortunate to have been accepted into this competitive program, which is giving me this amazing opportunity. While in Sweden, my main role will be to act as an ambassador and to learn as much as I can about the culture and people, while representing Rotary, Atlanta, and the United States.

A little about me: Although I’m 15, I’ve already had several opportunities to travel and experience different cultures through service. I’ve been on short-term trips to Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Ecuador, where I worked on hands-on service projects and built meaningful relationships with the people there. I applied to Rotary to build on those experiences, but this time, I’m excited to truly live in a new culture and experience what daily life is like, rather than just passing through for a week or two.

This year is a big deal for me. I’ll miss my family and friends a lot, but I see this experience as something that will shape me and influence my decisions for the rest of my life.

At the end of my time in Sweden, I’ll have the chance to participate in EuroTour, a 3-week bus trip across Europe organized by Danish Rotary, along with other exchange students from around the world. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit new places, strengthen the friendships I make abroad, and grow in ways I can’t yet imagine. The total cost is around $3000. While I plan to work this summer to cover part of the cost, I’m hoping to find people who are willing to help me raise the rest.

As for my finances, my parents gave my sister and me some of the money the government provided for having kids during COVID. Since I was 11, I’ve been learning about the stock market and investing some of that money (including in stocks like Nvidia, Intel, and the S&P 500). I’ve decided to use part of that money to fund my trip. I also plan to earn around $500 this summer by refereeing soccer on the weekends and offering labor services in the neighborhood during the week (yard cleanups, trash removal, garage cleaning, etc.). Additionally, I plan to withdraw $1,000 from my investment account, leaving me with about $1,500 left to raise.

This isn’t just a trip for me — it’s an investment in my future. Living in Sweden will give me the tools to better understand people from all walks of life, navigate challenges, and build meaningful relationships across cultures. These are the kinds of experiences that will shape me into a stronger, wiser, and more compassionate person. This journey will not only influence my personal growth but also prepare me to contribute more to my community and the world.

I invite you to join me on this adventure. Whatever your reason for supporting me — whether you value the life-changing impact of cross-cultural immersion, appreciate Rotary’s mission, or are moved by what you’ve read and want to help make EuroTour possible — I’ll be deeply grateful. Please consider donating or sharing the link, and don’t forget to follow my journey on the Rotary Youth Exchange South East website (ryese.org), where I’ll be posting monthly journal entries from Sweden. Thank you! Much love