Asfour, who was born and lived in Atlanta until she was 3 years old, will be going into her sophomore year at UGA, majoring in financial engineering. She applied to the GRSP program through the Beirut Cosmopolitan Rotary Club in Lebanon, which conducts its meetings in English, and said she wanted to do the exchange program to meet new people and see new places.

"I'm just glad I'm here. I'm excited about everything," she said.

Asfour is supported by the Rockdale, Covington, Morgan and Social Circle Rotary clubs and is hosted by Alain Bouzoubaa and his family in Conyers.

The Conyers Rotary Club recently welcomed GRSP exchange student Claudia Salcedo, from Baranquilla, Colombia.

Salcedo, who already graduated from the Universidad al Norte, or Northern University, in Colombia with a major in industrial design, is using this year at UGA as an opportunity to explore artistic classes, such as painting, textiles and interior design. She applied for the exchange program after her older sister and a couple of her friends went through the program.

"They said it was the best experience of their lives," she recalled. She was able to visit her sister at UGA in 2004. "I loved it in Athens, though I didn't get to see that much."

Salcedo is sponsored by the Conyers, Monroe and Loganville clubs and is hosted by Sandra and Rodney Etheridge in Conyers.

The Georgia Rotary Student Program began in 1946 with four students and $4,000 and grew to a program of $1 million with more than 3,000 students sponsored by 158 clubs throughout the state.