Megan Reuss (2009-2010 Outbound to Sweden)

Hi Rob,

Thanks for reaching out to me! Sorry for the delay in response but I wanted to make sure I put aside enough time to give you a proper response. Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) had a very significant role in my life and I largely credit my experience abroad with helping to determine where I am today.

I spent the year after graduating from Lakewood Ranch High School (Bradenton, FL) in Örebro, Sweden where I had the opportunity to attend Rudbecksskolan and live with three host families. Prior to RYE, I hadn't ventured out of the states too much and the longest time I spent away from my family was on a three week backpacking trip in Yellowstone.

I think the most important thing that Rotary Youth Exchange showed me is that living abroad and learning foreign languages isn't just for powerful global business executives and foreign diplomats. In an increasingly global marketplace, the experience of living and learning abroad truly gives you a different perspective on things. The experience of learning first hand to live in a new culture through immersing yourself in the local customs truly can't be replicated.

Prior to moving to Örebro, I didn't know more than a handful of phrases in the official language of the country. Now, I am still able to keep in contact with host families and friends met throughout the year there. While Swedish is certainly a useful language to know, the process of learning Swedish is what I found to be the ultimate boon. Learning a language from scratch taught me that anything is possible, if you put your mind to it. Outside of learning hard skills, I can't stress how much the development of soft skills affected the my ability to grow on a personal level.

While abroad as a RYE student, attending the local Rotary meetings was something that I looked forward to and what I heard during those meetings eventually sparked my interest in the world of international business. Seeing how leaders within the community of Örebro used their business acumen to help improve both their direct community as well as the global community truly inspired me. When the time came to select which university I would be attending, my decision became significantly easier than it had prior to living abroad.

I'm currently a senior at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, on track to graduate from the D'Amore-McKim School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in International Business, minor in German, and concentration in Accounting in January of 2015. The main reason I chose to attend Northeastern was originally because of their world renowned international business program and the innovative experiential learning program called "co-op" which allows students to gain real world work experience between semesters of study. The sense of community is truly inspiring and while I could go on for hours talking about the university, I encourage you to explore more about Northeastern when you have a free moment.

I spent the 2013 - 2014 school year living abroad in Germany. I first began learning German at Northeastern University in the fall of my freshman year, following my return to the states from Sweden. By the time I moved abroad, I had a strong enough command on the language to dive right into the German culture.

While in Germany, my first five months were spent at the European School of Business where I was a student in the International Management Double Degree program where courses were conducted in German. My year abroad in Sweden had prepared me for the stresses associated with attending classes in a foreign language in a foreign country and ultimately helped to set me up for success.

My final seven months in Germany were spent working as an intern in the Financial Services Tax department at KPMG in Munich. I was a member of the US tax team where I prepared US tax returns for German individuals, partnerships, and corporations invested in US real estate. My ability to communicate in both English and in German allowed me to become a valuable asset to the team.

My year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student really opened up my eyes to a world full of opportunities. If students can look past the initial fear of leaving home for a year and muster up enough courage to move abroad, I think the benefits far outweigh the risks associated accepting an international assignment. Rotary Youth Exchange did a tremendous job at preparing me for the highs and lows of a cultural exchange.

I hope this has helped to answer your inquiry. If you have any additional questions regarding my Rotary Youth Exchange experience, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,

Megan Reuss

|(941) 685 - 2253

Northeastern University|D'Amore-McKim School of Business

Candidate for Bachelor of Science in International Business

Anticipated Graduation, January 2015