US student ready for ‘Incredible India’ For this Kearney High graduate, 'living authentically' means being a part of the local culture, eating their food and speaking their language for better understanding of the region.

Dawn Thompson has been to 10 different countries, but her trip to India will be quite different.

She will be participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Programme.

“I think everyone needs this challenge in life. Whether its going to college, or just moving out of the house, but for me it’s just going to another country for 11 months,” said Thompson.

Dawn will spend time in India, as she says living authentically.

“To eat the food and to experience the culture. Living authentically is not just seeing all the touristy things, it’s like being real and being in it,” Thompson said.

With this experience she’ll attend high school, participate in extracurricular activities and speak the Indian language Hindi, which she has been practicing.

Dawn says she is expecting to learn a lot and bring that knowledge back home.

“To change peoples minds about the stereotypes they have about India. Just to create a ripple effect of knowledge so people can learn from me about India, and just see the world in a different way just to get people out of the bubble even if they’re not the ones traveling. Just to learn something new,” Thompson said.

Dawn is leaving in early August.

She will be staying with two host families in Rourkela. It is a city in East India by Bangladesh.

The Kearney Rotary Club (Nebraska, US — District 5630) will have a going away celebration for Dawn on July 26 at 6 pm at Yanney Park.

When Dawn returns, she will go off to college.

Source: Nebraska TV