Christine Shu, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Dist. 5300

Christine Shu, who just received her baccalaureate last May from Colby College, a small but nationally top-ranking liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, has been awarded the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for post-graduate studies and service in Kazakhstan in the 2009 – 2010 school year.

Christie, standing at the podium with ease and composure, spoke eloquently and elegantly, in a resounding but well-modulated voice, about her academic interest in the Russian people, language and culture and about her passion for building bridges between different cultures and different countries.

At Colby College, she majored in International Studies with a concentration in Russian. Her first stint in Russia was a volunteer English teacher through Learning Enterprises, teaching English to children ages 5 to 16 at a rural summer camp in Siberia. There through her interactions with the local people she changed their preconceived misconceptions about American ways of life and American values and influenced the more studious children to decide to visit other countries for cultural exchanges later on.

In two weeks, Christine will travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan, as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. Her missions will be: (1) be an ambassador of good will; (2) create little pockets of peace; and (3) build bridges of cultural exchange. Bon Voyage and Bonheur, Christie!