Before arriving in Upstate New York for her exchange program, Saana Papadopoulou’s idea of life at an American high school was shaped by movies and her social media feed.
Papadopoulou, from Austria, wanted to travel without feeling like a tourist and to become immersed in another country’s lifestyle. That’s why she signed up for the international initiative for high schools students, Rotary Youth Exchange, choosing her top three country preferences, not knowing where in the world she would spend a full school year.
Eventually, Papadopoulou was matched with a school in the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York – a region with rolling hills, vineyards, and nearly a dozen slender lakes. Since starting her studies five months ago, she’s experienced an American Christmas and made friends by playing basketball and volleyball at North Rose-Wolcott High School. She’s also seen how teaching styles in the US differ from Europe.
“For me, it’s about personal growth and being independent. I think the program also opens the door for a lot of future opportunities for international studies,” she says.
Amid visa challenges and falling international enrolments, US universities are increasingly trying to recruit international students who are already studying at American high schools or community colleges, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE).
America’s study abroad sector faced unrelenting policy challenges in 2025, including the federal government’s slashing of $100 million in funding from at least 22 cultural exchange programs.
Those cuts have impacted around 10,000 students, including some high school exchange students, says the American Institute for Foreign Study.
However, while many study abroad programs are working to navigate funding losses under President Donald Trump’s administration, Rotary has been spared.
Rotary spared from sector-wide cuts
Rather than relying on federal funding, Rotary – a worldwide nonprofit with 1.2 million members working on a multitude of projects – relies on donations and volunteers at its over 45,000 clubs. Out of those clubs, nearly 4,000 are involved in exchange programs.
Rotary’s independent funding and wide network has made it resilient, says Sam Cepulo, vice chair of Rotary Youth Exchange in the Finger Lakes’ district. During the 2023 to 2024 school year, the most recent data available, over 9,400 families volunteered to host Rotary exchange students across 52 countries.
Cepulo became involved with the program after spending a school year in Latvia. Over a decade ago, she signed up for Rotary Youth Exchange and was paired with a Baltic nation she knew little about. Through attending a Latvian school and living with a Latvian family, she gained a perspective of the Cold War and the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s dissolution that’s impossible to learn from a textbook.
“I learned a lot of history that we just don’t get taught here in America, especially from their perspective. It changed me so much as a person,” she says.
She gained a perspective of the Cold War that’s impossible to learn from a textbook.
Currently, the Finger Lakes region is hosting 14 exchange students and has sent several of its own students around the world through Rotary. When Romane Dehan, an exchange student from Belgium, first came to the Finger Lakes, she knew she wanted to be heavily involved in her school’s community to make friends.
Dehan joined the ski and soccer teams at Naples High School, having never played competitive soccer before. As she explained, it also was her first time playing school sports, since most teams in Belgium are affiliated with clubs rather than the school.
“For me, sports are really helpful to meet people outside of class to laugh and hang out and just have fun,” she says.
Speaking English daily with friends and with a host family is a much different experience than learning English in school, Dehan says. At first, she struggled to understand humour when her friends were telling jokes, feeling she was a lot funnier in her native French language.
Global visa disruptions
Dehan and many other students were worried about not being able to study abroad this school year. That’s largely because of the State Department’s three-week pause on visa interviews worldwide in May and June, 2025, creating huge delays in visa processing for students.
The Department ordered all US consulates to stop scheduling interviews while it expanded its social media vetting process. Even before the pause, it was taking students in some countries months to get a visa interview due to limited appointments, part of an ongoing issue that advocates are calling on lawmakers to address.
Currently, some consulates in Asia and Africa have a wait time of three- to four-and-a-half months to schedule an interview for an exchange student (J-1) visa, according to the State Department’s website.
Dehan says she received her visa just two days before her flight. Papadopoulou was also nervous about not getting her visa on time, but got it approved a month before her program started.
“I wasn’t sure if I could come at all this year. That was very stressful but I’m glad it all worked out,” Papadopoulou says.
Most Rotary students arrived on time last summer, but at least two arrived late because of visa delays, says Bob Howard with the Finger Lakes’ Rotary Youth Exchange district.
His role involves ensuring that students have been vetted by the district’s Youth Exchange Committee and providing them with State Department documentation, showing they’re being sponsored by an approved exchange program.
Howard became involved in Rotary Youth Exchange when he hosted a student from Turkey in the 1990s. In his three years so far, the State Department hasn’t denied the visa of any students Howard has dealt with, he says.
That’s different from some exchange programs, where visa denials have been a longtime challenge. About 11% of students who applied for a J-1 visa had theirs denied in 2024, according to Visa Grader, a website that analyses State Department data. Other years, denial rates have been as high as 15%.
Rotary’s reputational weight
Rotary’s legacy and its recognisable name worldwide has likely helped its visa applicants, Cepulo says. Rotary members have helped to host exchange students since the 1920s.
“I think the Rotary name carries a lot of weight. So when they see those applications come through, I think there’s a lot more clarity for those students,” she says.
After completing an exchange program, many students still stay connected to Rotary. Across the globe, the nonprofit has a network of former exchange students, called ‘Rotex’ who mentor current students, including helping them to practice the language.
Once they complete their exchange program and graduate from high school in their native countries, both Dehan and Papadopoulou want to study abroad for college. Both say they’re considering attending a European university – being more cost-effective for European Union citizens compared to American universities – but are keeping their options open.
Through her program, Papadopoulou has learned how to adapt to become part of a community, she says. Rather than feeling like a traveler, she’s been ingrained into the life of her host family and feels a sense of ‘school spirit’ in being involved in so many activities.
“We didn’t know that we were coming to New York State, so you learn to adapt,” Papadopoulou says.
“You get to see the life of an American family and you get to experience holidays and traditions and stuff, because you’re part of the family and part of the community.”
