What happens when you love martial arts, Japanese anime, and learning about new cultures? You go to Japan as a Rotary Youth Exchange student! Audrey Williams is a 16 year old student from Westborough High School. For the 2025-26 school year, she is living and attending school in Okinawa, Japan. Audrey applied to the District 7910 Youth Exchange Program in 2024 and is sponsored by the Westborough Rotary Club. She was selected to go to Japan based on her grades and interests in Japanese culture. She currently attends high school in Naha City, Okinawa, and lives with a Japanese host family.
Audrey is thrilled and appreciative of the wonderful experiences she's had on exchange. Her Okinawan Rotary club is part of the Tokyo district -- which means she travels regularly to Tokyo to take part in all the youth exchange activities organized in the Tokyo area. Not only has she made friends with many Japanese students, but she's also met other exchange students from all over the world. She now navigates airports and public transit all over Japan with confidence using, of course, her newly acquired Japanese language skills.
Audrey's parents, Joe and Tiffany Williams, couldn't be prouder of their daughter. Both parents agree she's more self-reliant and mature than when she left home. Going on exchange has truly been life changing for Audrey. Joe plans to visit Audrey in June and looks forward to having a personal tour guide while they tour Japan. Both Joe and Tiffany agree: more students should take advantage of this program. It has been a dream come true for their daughter.
Interested in more information? Contact us at youthexchange@rotary7910.org