Denny Relates Portugal Experience

Lauren Denny, who just returned from a year abroad as Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar in Lisbon, Portugal, detailed her experiences to the club Friday, October 17.

As an undergraduate at Pomonoa College in southern California, Lauren studied International Relations with a focus on Latin America which afforded her the opportunity to live, work and study in Mexico, Spain and Brazil.

During her scholarship year, she pursued a Masters Degree in International Relations at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa which helped broaden her knowledge on European affairs while perfecting her Portuguese language skills.

While in Portugal, Lauren was hosted by the Rotary Clube de Lisboa-Decano and District 1960.

Her invovlement with Rotary in Portugal included a wide variety of activites ranging from scholarship presentations in all of southern Portgual, to weekly host club luncheons, fundraising events and youth program participation.

In addition to these activities, she sought out other volunteer opportunities with a local organizaton that assists the homeless of Lisbon, as well as a position with Luso-American Foundation in which she counseled Portuguese students looking to study in the United States.

Before returning home, she completed a summer internship at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon's Department of Commerce. Denny is currently finishing her thesis and preparing to take the U.S. Foreign Service Exam.

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