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Program Dan Coons who has been a host father to our speaker this year, introduced Caio Luque to share his experiences as a Rotary Youth Exchange student hosted by Mesa West Rotary Club this year. Caio is from Ecuador. He showed a photo of his family where he is with his father, mother, 22-year-old brother, and 14-year-old brother. Also shown in the photo is a figure that is traditionally burned as part of family New Year celebrations each year. They live peacefully near some of the world's most active volcanoes which make for stunning vistas and scenery. Cai's father is a systems engineer and his mother is involved with school administration. Caio's older brother participated in Rotary Youth Exchange in Taiwan. His younger brother wants to follow in his brothers' Youth Exchange footsteps, but he wants to go to Europe. When Caio left Ecuador on July 28, 2018, he was very nervous. He has attended Campo Verde High School in Gilbert. One of the biggest contrasts that was immediately apparent was that In Ecuador, the teachers rotate from classroom to classroom, and here the students rotate to different classrooms throughout the day. In Ecuador, Caio is a very active competitor in both soccer and ping-pong. While in Arizona, Caio has enjoyed the opportunity to go on lots of trips and experiences. He enjoyed the opportunity to go on small plane rides with Frank Rosenberg (another host dad). He had the opportunity to go to Six Flags in California - "It was a really good, fun day." Pam Cohen made it possible to ski for the first time in his life. It was a "magic day" even though he "was on the ground most of the time." He had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon with other exchange students. He went with Chuck Flint to Mexico. Caio said that when he attended RYLA at Camp Pinerock in Prescott, he learned to get out of his comfort zone. He was thankful for his amazing experience. Caio said that he has changed a lot physically. Dan and Colleen's son, Nick, has challenged him to be more fit, and they have visited a local gym together so that Caio has had the opportunity to learn how to use the various pieces of equipment. He has also learned how to stay fit even without the equipment using a routine of calisthenics and cardiovascular exercise. He has changed as a person, too. Caio said that he has learned he really likes math. It is his favorite subject. He now knows he wants to be involved with building things and/or involved with home design - areas where he can use his math skills to their best advantage. Caio's father is a Rotarian. Caio told his dad he wanted to be a Rotary Youth Exchange Student. Two months later, his dad told him he would be going. Caio says it has been the best experience of his life. Caio said he is not able to afford the train trip that many of the inbound students participate in each year. Prior to going home to Ecuador on June 28, he will leave Arizona on June 18 for a brief visit to Florida. Caio's real name is Carlos, but since he was very small, everyone has called him Caio. Apparently, he would sleep deeply and regularly fall out of bed while dreaming. Caio is spelled slightly differently, but essentially is taken from the word which means "to fall." The only person who does not call him Caio is his grandmother who calls him by his middle name, Jose.
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President Chris Krueger opened the meeting by asking Wendell Jones to offer the invocation and Pam Cohen to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. She thanked Dan Coons for serving as greeter, welcoming Rotarians and guests to the meeting.
Shown in the photo are three Westwood High School Interact Club Presidents. On the left is Shakima Fagan, 2018-19 President. In the middle is Hannah Mason, recently elected to lead the club in the 2019-20 academic year. On the right is Colton Cagle, who served as club president in 2017-18. Colton is wrapping up his term as 2018-19 District Governor for Interact District 5495. 
Shown in the left photo are four Westwood High School Interact Club members who received scholarships from Mesa West Rotary Foundation at the recent awards ceremony at the high school: While their is no requirement that recipients be members of Interact, this year all four recipients, Shakima, Valeria, Sandra, and Colton, are not only interact members, but have served as Interact officers..jpg)
