This program is one-of-a-kind. We have been bringing nations together since 1946. The program began with only 4 scholars, and now we are proud to say that we have more than 3,692 alumni from all over the world. The program’s purpose is to broaden the understanding of world peace through people and that is exactly what we’ve done.
GRSP News
Jiwani, Noueku Named 2025 Peace Award Recipients
Georgia Rotary Student Program celebrates two scholars who promote peace and understanding among their peers and nations. Rotary International marks Sunday to celebrate its 120th anniversary and World Understanding and Peace Day. February 23 is the anniversary of the...
GRSP Trio in Norway Experience Summer of Harmony, Personal Growth
The trio of Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) college students from Georgia returned from Norway in early August declaring the time spent abroad was a beautiful summer of harmony and personal growth. Isabel “Izzy” Forster represented District 6900 and the Rotary...
GRSP Names 2024 Oslo International Summer School Scholarship Winners
Georgia Rotary Student Program Founder William A. Watt, Sr., established a relationship in Norway that is prospering more than 70 years later as evident in the three college students from Georgia who have been selected to spend six weeks this summer studying at the...
Being a part of the Georgia Rotary Student Program has been one of the most profound experiences of my life. This program has afforded me the opportunity to forge lasting friendships with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. This, perhaps, is the greatest gift that one can hope to get for it allows us to see through differences across cultures and instead find similarities between one another. I feel that such fellowship across participants, both students and host families, is what made this program such an enriching experience for me.
Ali Shaaban Shahid
Pakistan
GRSP 2013-14
Since 1946, Rotarians in Georgia, USA, have promoted world peace through understanding by offering ambassadorial scholarships to international students for one year cultural immersion and of study in Georgia colleges and universities.
Each year, students from all over the world make friends in the United States and other nations and learn about differing cultures and lifestyles. Georgia Rotarians believe “Peace is Possible” and through GRSP promote international goodwill through friendship and understanding.
The students become adopted members of a Georgia “host family,” living on-campus at the school they attend. This is an ambassadorial scholarship program, not an exchange!
Georgia Rotary Clubs sponsor students recommended by a Rotary Club in their home country.
Tom Siemann’s perspective has provided him both an amazing view of the North Georgia mountains as well as connections. Tom, 23 from Germany, is studying to become an English and History teacher at Piedmont University, where he enjoys a beautiful campus, north Georgia landscapes and smaller class sizes. He claims the smaller class sizes as the reason the interaction between students and the professor is so much better.
“I am very grateful for the wonderful and welcoming people I have met so far,” Tom said in reference to his GRSP year. “My host family has really become like family to me, especially their kids. Everybody, at Rotary and at Piedmont, welcomed me with open arms and made it very easy so settle in. It feels like I really got the chance to experience the American way of life. I discovered that American football is very interesting, I even got to see a real (University of Georgia) Bulldogs Match. Go Dawgs!”
Tom is sponsored by the rotary Clubs of Habersham and Banks Counties
Habersham Rotary
@bankscountyrotary
Rotary District 6910
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The GRSP Class of 2024-25 gathered in Dunwoody for Presidents' Day Weekend in February for the silver anniversary of the GRSP Leadership Weekend. Aside from a snowstorm and COVID pandemic each interference in prior years, the weekend carried on the tradition of developing future leaders and Service Above Self that started in 2000, and formerly held in January. The Rotary Club of Dunwoody took the lead with support from the Rotary Clubs of Buckhead and Atlanta Metro, the Rotaract Club of Atlanta, and the Georgia Rotary Student Program.
Students packed 10,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger, helping the Rotary Club of Dunwoody for reaching a 100,000-meal milestone with Rise Against Hunger with most of those meals packed over the last 10 years by GRSP scholars. This year's meals were going to Honduras as part of a food/education program for elementary students.
Dunwoody Rotarian Peter Sherman led the leadership boot camp, focusing on servant leadership, teamwork and project planning. These skills were put to work in the weekend finale, mock Shark Tank experience, which was facilitated by the Rotaract Club of Atlanta. Student teams developed projects aligned with Rotary International’s seven Areas of Focus, in hopes of winning $1,000 funding for their project. Five of the projects focused on Georgia while the other two were on international projects. The Disease Prevention & Treatment team came in first with their elementary school fitness program targeting a Southwest Atlanta elementary school. While each group presented innovative ideas, the others were encouraged to take their projects back to their sponsoring clubs and home countries for potential projects.
Rotary District 6900
Rotaract Club of Atlanta
Rotary Club of Dunwoody
Rotary Club of Buckhead
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Georgia Rotary Student Program celebrates two scholars who promote peace and understanding among their peers and nations. Rotary International marks Sunday to celebrate its 120th anniversary and World Understanding and Peace Day. February 23 is the anniversary of the first Rotary meeting in 1905.
Two GRSP scholars were honored in their respective host Rotary Club meetings recently by Committee Chair John Carruth representing the Roswell Rotary Club and presenting the Barbara M. and Donald L. Thomas Peace Award to Shifa Maherali Jiwani of India and Jordan Laurent Noueku of Cameroon.
Jiwani attends Kennesaw State University and is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of East Cobb and Paulding County. Immediately volunteering in the US healthcare system followed by her research journey that she started as a freshman at Kennesaw into antimicrobial resistance, which may result in saving millions of lives around the world, helped her standout.
“We were very impressed with her desire to become a healthcare professional to help overcome the healthcare inequities in impoverished areas of the world, having witnessed in her native country of India,” Carruth said.
Noueku attends Morehouse College and is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Midtown Atlanta, Atlanta West End and Fayetteville. His letter introduced himself as a young man willing to give back with his time and talents, and also one for whom the monetary award would be a great help as he seeks medical education so he may help others.
“Jordan’s journey has not been easy in pursuit of this goal, with many setbacks and financial struggles along the way, first with even being able to come to America, then with high school in San Francisco, and now in college at Morehouse,” Carruth said. “We hope that this award, in some small way, will help you on your path toward becoming a medical technician and being able to give back to those who have helped you get this far.”
Roswell Rotarian PDG Bob Hagan stated that Donald, chairman of Anchor Savings Bank, and Barbara, who did not work for the bank but was featured in promotions, were known throughout Georgia for their 1980s rhyming radio and television advertising, “Your Anchor Banker, he understands. Yes, your Anchor Banker, she understands.” Donald died in 2006 and Barbara in 2013.
As Roswell Rotarians the Thomases were strong supporters of GRSP. Both were recognized as Kendall-Weisiger Fellows, distinction awarded by the GRSP Foundation for contributions of $5,000 or more. In June 1992, they created a substantial Charitable Remainder Trust to be given to GRSP. In June 2001, they established the Barbara M. and Donald L. Thomas Peace Award to a recipient who exhibits the spirit of the program, exemplifies Service-Above-Self and expresses evidence of additional financial assistance to meet the needs associated with their education or career goals. Thanks to their generosity, this year an award of $2,500 was presented to each recipient.
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