Georgia Rotary Student Program - Hosting GRSP Student

This year, the Rotary Club of Dunwoody is hosting Mathilde Illum - our 35th GRSP student. She is being hosted by two club members, Jackie Cuthbert and Lorri Christopher.

Mathilde comes from a family of five – she is the middle child – with an older sister and a younger brother. Her mother is a Rotarian, and her aunt and uncle were GRSP scholars in 1989-1990. Her mom, sister and now brother have all been Rotary Youth Exchange students.

Mathilde is not sure what her final education path holds, but wants to work with something humanitarian or creative. In Denmark, she volunteered at the Red Cross second hand shop a few times a week and was a tutor for the freshman class. She will enter university in Denmark after her GRSP year.

As to her goals for her GRSP year, Mathilde says, “I would love to achieve a deeper understanding of American culture and its people, and hopefully build lasting bonds with American families and international students. I would especially like to explore American community service and voluntary work. I want to experience what the USA is really like, and see the real structure, rather than the one presented in pop culture and the news. My deep interest for history is also a major reason, as this could help me in learning more about American history than what I might have learnt growing up.”