Mariana Guerrero Forgie

Subpages
Related Pages
Links
Files
Photo Albums
 
image

     Mariana Guerrero Forgie attended the Ecole Nationale de Sante Publique in Paris, France. She was sponsored by The Woodlands Rotary Club and her Rotary Sponsor Counselor was Rotarian Mark Cole. Mariana holds a degree in Biology and French from the University of Houston and has pursued graduate study in anticipation of studies in medicine following her Scholar year abroad. Her field of study while in Paris was Public Health. Mariana has enjoyed becoming more fluent in the French language while preparing for a career of service, such as with the Doctors Without Borders program.
     Mariana recently spoke to The Woodlands Rotary Club to talk about her year abroad - below is the news article in the weekly Rotary Column in The Conroe Courier about her great adventure:

 

     *************************************************************************************

 

A Rotary Moment

For The Conroe Courier 

For 8/8/2011

Kris Nordstrom McBride 

 

 

     Mariana Forgie knew at a young age that somehow France was tied to her future, so she started French classes at the age of 13. That insight served Mariana well when she was selected in 2009 to be a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to study in – yes, Paris.

    The Ambassadorial Scholarship Program is The Rotary Foundation's oldest program, founded in 1947, and has become one of the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship programs. More than 40,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied abroad as Rotary scholars. During the 2009-2010 Rotary year, grants of more than 16.2 million dollars sent 700 scholars from 70 countries to 80 nations to study and learn.

     The Rotary International website tells us that “The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsors academic year scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country. Generous contributions (to The Rotary Foundation) from Rotarians worldwide represent a continued faith that today’s Ambassadorial Scholars will be tomorrow's community and world leaders.

    Members of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands, and their guests, were able to hear the story of Mariana’s adventures first hand last week, when she was the guest speaker at the club’s Thursday luncheon. In the audience were two very proud gentlemen – Mariana’s husband Rhys, and Rotarian Werner Rose, District 5910’s long time Ambassadorial Scholarship Chair.

     Mariana is proof that faith in the students chosen for the A.S. Program is warranted. A 2005 graduate of The Woodlands High School, Mariana knew all about Rotary and its programs when she graduated. She was an officer of TWHS Interact Club for all four years of high school.
She went on to study biology and French at The University of Houston and was a member of The Honors College there.
     Mariana’s dream of studying in France became a reality when she was chosen for the A.S. Program, working on her Master’s Degree in Public Health at the French Institute of Public Health Surveillance. “As a future doctor”, Mariana told the audience, “I plan to use my training in public health and my interest in helping others, to work with underserved communities in the US and developing countries”. She will begin medical school in the fall at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

     Mariana was hosted by the Rotary Club of Paris Haussman. She joined the Paris Rotaract Club. (Rotaract is Rotary at the college level.) Her club worked with the food bank there and hosted music concerts to raise money for them. She volunteered at Hospital Trousseau, where she was inspired by the children who, despite many challenges, were always smiling and loving life.
     Mariana spoke of seeing Rotary signs during her travels, and when she did, she always said a silent “Thank you Rotary” for this year of adventure and excitement. When asked about what was the most significant thing she learned during her year, the audience nodded in agreement with her answer – once you get to know people, and understand their cultural traditions, you realize that we are more the same than different; that the world is much smaller than we think it is; and that we all have the same basic goals and needs in life. Who would have thought of Parisians as lovers of Gospel music, she asked? Not what she expected either, but she relayed stories of enjoying that very American musical genre with a diverse group of people from many nations, all calling Paris home.
    In closing, Mariana spoke of her growth as a person during her time abroad, and how the experience changed her outlook and understanding of the world in very positive ways. When looking back at  the purpose of the Ambassadorial Program, and the hopes and dreams of all Rotarians for a more peaceful world where we understand and respect each other – I would say we’ve scored a win with Mariana. Thank you, Mrs. Forgie!

 

To learn more about Rotary, or to submit information for the column, contact Kris via email KRISRCLC@aol.com, Fax (936) 228-0613, Phone (936) 228-5111, VM #3. Also see the Rotary District 5910 website at www.rotary5910.org