DGND Steve Ivory inducts GRSP Alumni Wade Gunning into the Metro Atlanta Rotary Club

Georgia Rotary Student Program commemorates the Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month through education and public awareness as our one-of-a-kind program has been bringing nations together since 1946. GRSP’s purpose for the last 77 years has been to develop potential global leaders who promote understanding and peace around the world.

We believe that peace is possible as we extend one-year ambassadorial scholarships to international college students who spend one year in Georgia colleges and universities learning about the American way of life, receive mentorship from sponsoring Rotary Clubs and build lasting relationships with Rotarians as well as classmates from various countries.

Just ask one of our 3,731 alumni from more than 109 countries around the world. That’s exactly what our one-of-a-kind Rotary program has done. And by the way, did you know that one of our alumni is now a GRSP Trustee in District 6910, and one of last year's alumni, Wade Gunning, has just become a Rotarian in the Atlanta Metro Rotary Club?

Emilio Ochoa Botero of Colombia, an engineering student, will finish his major when he returns to Colombia this summer. He decided to take classes he would have never have had the chance to take at his home university. “As an engineering student, I’ve taken Italian and Cultural Anthropology, and now taking Korean, Japanese, English Composition and Understanding Peace and Conflict,” Botero said.

GRSP has provided the opportunity for Botero to interact with people from different countries such as the United States, Korea, Germany, UK, Argentina, Pakistan, Spain, countries from Scandinavia and Africa. The experience has allowed him to learn about know new cultures and ways of life.

The singing of the Peace Song at our annual Conclave is an honored GRSP tradition. Alumni from all over the world have learned the words - and Rotarians too - and stand together in peace and harmony thanks to this special song. The beautiful lyrics were written by our Administrator Emeritus Janis Comer and the music was written by Bernard Wong, GRSP Class of 1994-95. The second verse of the song includes the lyrics, “Peace, oh what a perfect way in which to live our lives each day, in thought and deed, in work and play. Peace, oh what a perfect way!”

The Rotary Club of Dunwoody will host the GRSP Leadership Conference February 10 to 12 in partnership with Rotarians from Buckhead, Brookhaven, North Atlanta and Gainesville. Weekend events will allow GRSP scholars to explore ways to make a difference in the world, build communication skills, complete a community service project plus spend time with other GRSP classmates and host Rotarians.