Sophomore Noah Lovgren will spend next year not in a Lincoln classroom, but instead immersed in a new culture, language and home in the center of Europe.

Each year, the Portland Pearl Rotary Club sponsors two juniors from the Portland area in an all-expenses paid, year-long exchange to a variety of countries around the world.

Lovgren will study in Switzerland. He has spent all of this year preparing, attending workshops on etiquette and behavior, as well as enrolling in German 1-2. Lovgren’s older brother, Henry, spent last year in Turkey.

The benefits are multi-faceted, the younger Lovgren says.

“The goal of the Rotary is improving international relations,” he says. “You come back a better person, having been exposed to new perspectives. My brother learned a lot about Muslim culture [in Turkey].”

Exchange programs such as Rotary’s are also meant to help students grow as individuals. “You learn a lot about yourself. For example, you’ll learn how to live independently,” as well as a new language, Lovgren says. He will need to learn high German and a specific Swiss dialect to communicate with his new classmates and host family.

About 8,000 students participate in Rotary exchanges worldwide. The program is a scholarship, so the cost to families merely consists of a plane ticket.

Applications for 2017 exchange are open. Applicants must be current freshmen in order to prepare sophomore year. The Rotary will host an information night April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Lucky Labrador, 7675 S.W. Capitol Highway. Those interested must RSVP to [email protected] by April 15.