This year, our outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student is Heather Murray – a fun loving athletic, scholastic 17 year-old, who left Canada for a year-long exchange program to Rome, Italy on August 31st 2010.

Heather had just finished grade 11 at Sinclair Secondary School in Whitby, and is now attending her new school in Rome. She rides the bus to school in the historic city centre with a new surrogate sister. Her brother Graham (20) and sister Caitlin (11) miss her dearly but are realizing the true value of the global communication through the internet – Skype!

It will be an experience that will shape Heather for life. She is excited to be living among the history she has learned, along with experiencing “culture”. Heather is dedicated to understanding the psychology of human nature. She is intrigued and interested in the differences in people from various countries. She has already begun to learn about people and their countries as she has had the opportunity to be among exchange students from Belgium, France, Switzerland, Finland, Japan and more.

After university, Heather is looking to work in the field of psychology to effect positive change in individuals and the world.

Follow her experiences through a blog here on the web site.