By Gregor Baum
In 2016, at the age of 17, I traveled from Frankfurt, Germany, to La Paz, Mexico, on a Rotary Youth Exchange.
The vibrant colors and rhythms of Mexico were the backdrop for this transformative journey, one that opened my eyes to the boundless beauty of the world and my heart to the importance of service.
But first, I needed to figure out how to communicate with my host family. I arrived in Mexico not knowing any Spanish. My hosts didn’t speak English or German. We resorted to gestures to communicate, miming our thoughts and emotions to one another.
It was both frustrating and fascinating. But I realized that human connection goes beyond words. We managed to understand each other, at least to some extent, even without speaking the same language.
Many things besides the language were uncomfortable – like leaving my parents behind and stepping into the unknown. But the experience was richer than I could have imagined. It taught me the immense value of venturing outside of my comfort zone – where true growth and transformation happen.
I was immersed in a culture so different from my own, yet I quickly discovered that beneath the surface there were many similarities that connected us as human beings. I learned that I couldn’t impose my way of living in Mexico; I had to adapt to and embrace a new way of life.
That year as a Rotary Exchange student didn’t just change my perspective; it changed me. I came to Mexico as a young boy eager to explore and left as a global citizen who felt a responsibility to use what I had learned to make a difference.
I saw the world through a new lens, one of unity in diversity. Rotary taught me that despite our various backgrounds and cultures, we all share common hopes, dreams, and challenges.
A few years later, Rotary’s influence continued to guide me when, as a college student, life took an unexpected turn. I was pursuing my academic and athletic dreams in the United States on a tennis scholarship when a back injury cut short my tennis career, something I had worked hard for. This loss of identity set me into a deep depression.
The weight of losing something so central to who I am was crushing. Each day felt heavier than the one before as I sat in my dorm room looking out the window at tennis courts I could no longer use. When I hit rock bottom, I reached out to my counselor. Slowly, through counseling, I began to rediscover myself and find new interests where once there had only been tennis.
I developed a passion for helping others who were experiencing similar challenges. I wanted to offer some skills and tools to help them look inward and use mental health services and other support systems to cope and achieve mental wellness.
Remembering my Rotary Youth Exchange experience and how it had inspired me, I decided to start a Rotaract club on my college campus. My mission was clear: I wanted to help students navigate unexpected setbacks in their lives, like I had.
Together with my counselor, we co-wrote a journal aimed at supporting students in their journey through adversity. It encourages self-reflection and fosters emotional stability. The Inner Journey Journal became a lifeline for others. One student shared how completing the journal helped her not be so harsh on herself after failing a critical exam. Another used the exercises to cope with the grief of losing a loved one. To date, the journal has been distributed to public and private schools from North Carolina to California.
Rotary members offered their support and helped me reach people who needed it most. It exemplified the power of Rotary to connect. Rotary isn’t just about community service; it’s about building bridges, opening doors, and amplifying causes that better the world.
Thinking back on that pivotal year in Mexico, I realize that Rotary didn’t just change my life, it gave me the tools to change the lives of others. Through Rotary, I found a way to transform my pain into purpose. And for that, I will always be grateful.
Gregor Baum earned a degree in business administration and leadership from North Carolina Wesleyan University in Rocky Mount, graduating in May of 2024. He is now a life coach. The journal he co-wrote is being used in more than 20 schools across the U.S.
https://blog.rotary.org/2024/10/18/my-rotary-youth-exchange-transforming-pain-into-purpose/