Read more about: Dario Asencio – Spanish Rotary Exchange Student to Nebraska.
“We’ve been friends with the Gomis Asencio family for more than twenty years,” said Beatriz Butler, a member of Rotary Club in Alicante, Spain. “I watched Dario Ascencio grow up and in 2022 I suggested to his mother that he apply for a Rotary Exchange opportunity.” It was that suggestion that took Dario Asencio from his home on the Mediterranean coast of Spain to Lincoln, Nebraska, as far away from the coasts of the United States as you can get. The impact from that one conversation has touched many families in Spain and the United States.
“As soon as I knew he was coming and would be with our family for a few months,” noted Kristin Duke of Lincoln, “I connected with his family on WhatsApp to help us know what he’d like for food and to reassure them we’d take care of him.” Dario stayed with the Duke family (Kristin, Steve and their son and daughter Evie and Jonathan) for most of the fall and it was during that time he decided he’d try out for the Lincoln East High School ice hockey team. He was familiar with hockey on roller blades, but needed to learn to ice skate if he were to join the Lincoln East Spartans. “We took Dario to an ice skating clinic,” said Kristin, “and it was hilarious to see a 6-foot tall 16-year-old out there with a bunch of four foot 6-year-olds learning to skate.”“Having Dario with us was a very positive experience for our family,” noted Kristin. “He became part of our family, so much so we now call the room where he stayed ‘Dario’s room.’” The Dukes also took him to Florida to visit their family during the Thanksgiving break. “He loved fishing,” said Kristin, “and wanted to keep everything he caught.”
“’I’d played roller hockey and seen a few ice hockey games,” Dario explained, “but I needed to learn how to play on ice skates. And I learned how to skate in just one week!” Dario said it was one of his favorite memories from his time in Nebraska, being included in the Lincoln East ice hockey team and getting to play in their games.
A little more about Dario and his family will give you a better picture of this outgoing young man and why his ten months in Nebraska impacted so many. “Dario’s our only child,” said his mother Marilo. “But my husband and I realized that after the two years of mostly being isolated because of COVID, the Rotary exchange would be a good opportunity for Dario. We wanted him to be able to adapt to other cultures because our world is growing more connected.” She went on to note that after they said goodbye at the airport, it was just her and her husband at home. “Dario’s door to his room remained closed for several weeks after he left.”
Lincoln East student Grayson Boyd got to know Dario through the hockey team and asked his parents, Christy and Taggert to host him during the second semester. It was during that time that the hockey team played a tournament game in St. Louis. Word of that game got to Dario’s parents over in Spain. They decided to surprise him and show up in St. Louis. It was that incredible surprise that included a visit to Lincoln and an opportunity for them to meet his adopted families here.“Being Dario’s Rotary host mom for a year was such a gift,” noted Mailani Veney, former president of Lincoln’s Downtown Rotary. “I saw firsthand the joys and challenges of being an exchange 16-year-oold in America. Dario made an impact on many of us in Lincoln, and I had the pleasure of hosting his parents when they surprised him with a visit.” Each Rotary Exchange student’s time is coordinated by Rotary members in the district and a local club member is appointed to be the primary contact and host during the stay.
As noted, Dario stayed with two families in Lincoln, the Dukes and the Boyds. Comments made by Corinne Boyd after he left help tell the story of his impact. “Five weeks ago, my exchange brother, Darío, finished his Rotary program in Lincoln, Nebraska and flew back to Spain. Although I did not live with Darío for the full five months that he was with my family, I am incredibly grateful for the friendship and experiences we did have.” It’s important to note that Corinne was only in Lincoln for 3 weeks during Dario’s 10-month visit, yet her comments clearly tell of the impact he had on her and others.
Corinne’s family is in Lincoln, but she’s a college student in Ohio. She went on to note, “I've learned quite a few things from this experience: No matter how far away family may be, love for one another is unwavering. Not only have I experienced this, but it was clear to see when Darío and his parents were reunited. Never be afraid to try something outside of your comfort zone. For Darío, it was moving to a new country and picking up a new sport at the age of 16. You can find a family and make a new place feel like home with the right people. Darío made the most of his experience by growing into each host family. Lastly, Darío may not be family by blood, and we may not have seen eye to eye on everything, but he will always be a little brother to me.”
Dario’s back home in Spain now, but he says, “Nebraska is my second place, it’s like I have family there. I missed my family, but the people in Nebraska became like family to me. I now have two families in Lincoln. I want to return.” And his mother added, “This was such a good experience for us that I’ve decided to be the person in Spain to help families here send their kids to the US. I tell them to rely on their kids, not try to control everything from Spain, and let them live the experience.” She went on to note, “The most important thing for Dario, an only child, is that he now has a big brother, Grayson Boyd.” This comment underscores the Rotary purpose for youth exchange, to help create a more interconnected and understanding world.
The Rotary Youth Exchange (https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/youth-exchanges) is approaching its 100th anniversary, and over the years thousands of students have enjoyed a 10-month experience living with other families and attending local schools. Through the Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotarians hope to create a more interconnected and understanding world. Students are exchanged between Rotary districts and hosted by local families as they attend local schools. And the program is literally an exchange. As students from District 5650 are sent abroad, students from that region of the world are hosted here. Dr. Bob Rauner, a member of Rotary 14 and the Lincoln Public School Board, is the coordinator for the entire District. He works with Dr. Regina Werum, also a member of Rotary 14 and professor at UNL and Curt Peters, Omaha area coordinator. They make all the arrangements and coordinate exchange students hosted here in Nebraska and those from this district who have gone to other countries.
Dr. Rauner has coordinated District 5650 Rotary Exchange for six years. “Two of my kids were exchange students and they had great experiences,” he noted when asked why he was involved. “And, Lisa and I have hosted seven young men and women and learned a great deal from them. It’s an amazing experience.”
When we put the same question to Dr. Werum, she said, “This is a natural extension of what I do professionally. I’m a Sociologist and it intersects with my personal experience.” Dr. Werum is a native of Germany and her experience internationally was through the Fulbright exchange program. “Rotary Youth Exchange is the quintessential activity that meets the Four-Way Test (of which I am very fond). It is also a way for me to pay it back and pay it forward. Our clubs in Liincoln benefit from the RYE program precisely because we are able to sustain a cohort of exchange students each year – most other clubs can manage just one at a time, due to the work load associated with finding, vetting, as well as training host parents.”
Rotary Youth Exchange is a great way for your club to foster more understanding and a more interconnected world. Students from Brazil, Spain and Japan are in our District this year. Contact Rauner , Werum or Peters to see if they could arrange a visit to your club to share their story. And, keep an eye open for next year’s youth exchange applications, (https://rotarydistrict5650.org/page/youth-exchange) then share the news with a family you know with a student in high school.
Beatriz Butler, the Rotary member who got this all started summed up the experience with this remark, “Since he’s returned, Dario has become a great confident young man. I enjoy hearing him talk about his experience. I am happy, grateful and proud that I was able to facilitate his participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange.”