Julia Gessner In what year(s) were you involved? 2017/18
Where was your exchange /program/ place of study? St. Peters Lutheran College
How did Kenmore Rotary assist you? Kenmore Rotary was my host Club together with Paddington-Brisbane Rotary Club
Can you recall names of your counsellor, host parents, host family members etc? I had 5 host families in total and also 2 counsellors and on country coordinator. I can definitely list them all, if that will be helpful.
Do you have any special memories of your time associated with Rotary? Of course! My favourite Memories are definitely the hands on projects that I got to do with Kenmore Rotary. Pacing a shipping container with medical supplies for PNG, helping at the Kenmore firework show, planting trees and helping at a recycling facility together with people with disabilities. Many of the trips organised by Rotary for the students (Sunshine safari, Lady Elliot Island, Red Centre tour) where definitely a highlight too. I loved that Kenmore Rotary really included me into the Club I really enjoyed the meetings and getting to know everyone made it feel like being part of a big family.
What was the most valuable aspect of this experience? Getting to know different cultures, understanding global differences in cultures and languages, and learning how the world is interconnected has given me a global perspective that continues to shape me today.
Where do you live now? Constance, Germany
Your occupation? Just graduated in my Masters Degree in Architecture
Any family details you wish to share? Currently engaged
Do you continue to have contact with Rotary? Yes. I visited my sending Rotary Club a couple of time and helped them advertise the RYE program. I am getting updates yearly updates from some of my host families wich I really enjoy. Also reading the Kenmore Kog brings me a lot of joy and insight on what my host Club is doing.
When I think back to my Rotary Youth Exchange year in Australia, I don't just remember the big trips or famous places—I remember everyday life. Looking back, that year shaped me more than I realized at the time. Hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Kenmore and Paddington in Brisbane, I arrived as a teenager curious about Australia, but I left with a completely different way of seeing the world, people, community, and my own future.
One of the biggest gifts was living with five different host families. Even something as simple as doing laundry was different in every house. Every family had its own routines, traditions, and way of living, and that taught me that there isn't one "right" way to live. We can all be incredibly different while still sharing the same kindness, worries, and sense of home. It taught me that every family has its own rhythms and traditions, yet beneath those differences we are all simply human.
Rotary also showed me what service really looks like. Whether packing a shipping container of medical supplies for Papua New Guinea, recycling electronics alongside people with disabilities, planting trees, or volunteering at the Kenmore Fireworks Festival, I learned that making a difference does not require extraordinary circumstances—only the willingness to begin. Kenmore Rotary welcomed me as family, and I cherished learning from people of different generations broadening and shaping my understanding of the world.
Arriving back home, I helped welcome new exchange students in Germany, we hosted a Colombian exchange student with my family, guided Rotary Youth Exchange tours in my district, and later also helped international students settle into university life in Germany. I remembered how much it meant when someone made me feel at home, and I wanted to do that for others as well.
At St. Peter's Lutheran College, I discovered architecture—a subject that is not being taught in Germany. I discovered my passion for art and science combine in this field and it became the reason I later studied architecture in Germany and eventually continued my master's degree in Tokyo, from which I just gratueded with honours.
Looking back, Rotary did far more than teach me English or introduce me to a new country—it gave me the confidence to live across cultures, serve others, and believe that small actions can create lasting change.
A Rotarian once told me the story of the stranded starfish, that has stayed with me ever since: even if you can't save them all, throwing one at a time back into the sea changes that one life forever. That philosophy continues to guide my fiancé and me as we look for ways to give back through sustainable architecture and community service, wherever we live.
Rotary didn't just introduce me to Australia—it gave me a second family, mentors across generations, broad world perspective, and the confidence to know that small acts of kindness can shape a life. Mine certainly did.