Rotary International District 5260 · Greetings from District 5260. I am ... Greetings from...

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Jim Miceli - GSE Chairman, District 5260 Greetings from District 5260. I am honored to once again serve Rotary District 5260 as the Group Study Exchange Chair. I send my best wishes to District 1790 GSE Chair Jean-Marie Fauvel and the entire membership of your District. It gives me geat pleasure to send the fine team of young professionals we have assembled to your District. With equal excitement I look forward to welcoming your team to District 5260. I know from past experience this program has created enduring friendships between teams that have participated in this unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity. It is programs of The Rotary Foundation such as Group Study Exchange that make us all proud to be Rotarians. Yours in Rotary Service, Jim Miceli District 5260 GSE Chair Connie Cashin - Governor District 5260 Dear District Gouverneur Pierrre Desideri, first lady Catherine, and the members of District 1790: On behalf of District 5260, we are pleased to send you our team of young professionals, eager to visit your country. I look forward to welcoming the District 1790 GSE Team Members to southern Califor- nia. We hope that you will have a wonderful experience. The 36 Clubs in our District are very excited to meet your team and show them the splendor and diversity that is Southern California. We have many events and vocational activities planned, culminating with our District Conference in the beautiful seaside town of Ventura, California. You team will also participate in Rotarians at Work Day, an event scheduled for April 25, 2009. Our District was pleased to be one of the seven Southern California Rotary Districts who hosted the 2008 Rotary International Convention in Los Angeles. Make Dreams Real Connie Cashin District Governor 2008-09 District 5260 Jacob “Yasha” Castroll - Team Leader Jacob is a member of the Rotary Club of Studio City-Sherman Oaks. He was introduced to Rotary 22 years ago as a member of a Group Study Exchange Team that traveled to the Phiilippines. In his club Jacob has twice served as Club President. At the District level Jacob has served as Youth Exchange Coordi- nator and on the Foundation Alumni Committee. For the past 34 years Jacob has owned an insurance agency in Studio City. Jacob is also active as a volunteer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. As hobbies, Jacob enjoys playing chess, hiking, racquetball, and ham radio operation. Jacob and his wife Rody reside in Calabasas and have three adult children and two grandchildren. Having traveled to France in the past, Jacob looks forward to a return visit leading this fine team of young professionals. About District 5260 DISTRICT 5260 is a very large and diverse Rotary District in Southern California, USA. It extends from the suburbs of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley), North through the Santa Clarita Valley, into the Mojave Desert (Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Edwards Air Force Base) finally North about 200 miles to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the communities of Bishop and Mammoth Lakes. In addition to their vocational counterparts, we hope to show your GSE Team the California urban, suburban, desert and mountain lifestyles. Because the Los Angeles area has ethnic populations from all over the world, your GSE Team will also have a real variety of cultural experiences. For more information about District 5260 please visit our website at www.rotary5260.org. Rotary International District 5260 Greetings from California Salutations de la Californie Group Study Exchange District 5260 to District 1790 Team Leader, Jacob ”Yasha” Castroll, Team Leader with his team members from left Richard Cortés, Meghan Matthies, Moussa Helo and below Sofia Pop Perez

Transcript of Rotary International District 5260 · Greetings from District 5260. I am ... Greetings from...

Page 1: Rotary International District 5260 · Greetings from District 5260. I am ... Greetings from California Salutations de la Californie Group Study Exchange District 5260 to District

Jim Miceli - GSE Chairman, District 5260

Greetings from District 5260. I am honored to once again serve Rotary District 5260 as the Group Study Exchange Chair. I send my best wishes to District 1790 GSE Chair Jean-Marie Fauvel and the entire membership of your District.

It gives me geat pleasure to send the fine team of young professionals we

have assembled to your District.

With equal excitement I look forward to welcoming your team to District 5260. I know from past experience this program has created enduring friendships between teams that have participated in this unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity.

It is programs of The Rotary Foundation such as Group Study Exchange that make us all proud to be Rotarians.

Yours in Rotary Service,Jim MiceliDistrict 5260 GSE Chair

Connie Cashin - Governor District 5260

Dear District Gouverneur Pierrre Desideri, first lady Catherine, and the members of District 1790:

On behalf of District 5260, we are pleased to send you our team of young professionals, eager to visit your country. I look forward to welcoming the District 1790 GSE Team Members to southern Califor-nia. We hope that you will have a wonderful experience.

The 36 Clubs in our District are very excited to meet your team and show them the splendor and diversity that is Southern California.

We have many events and vocational activities planned, culminating with our District Conference in the beautiful seaside town of Ventura, California. You team will also participate in Rotarians at Work Day, an event scheduled for April 25, 2009.

Our District was pleased to be one of the seven Southern California Rotary Districts who hosted the 2008 Rotary International Convention in Los Angeles.

Make Dreams RealConnie CashinDistrict Governor 2008-09District 5260

Jacob “Yasha” Castroll - Team Leader

Jacob is a member of the Rotary Club of Studio City-Sherman Oaks. He was introduced to Rotary 22 years ago as a member of a Group Study Exchange Team that traveled to the Phiilippines. In his club Jacob has twice served as Club President.

At the District level Jacob has served as Youth Exchange Coordi-nator and on the Foundation

Alumni Committee.

For the past 34 years Jacob has owned an insurance agency in Studio City.

Jacob is also active as a volunteer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

As hobbies, Jacob enjoys playing chess, hiking, racquetball, and ham radio operation.

Jacob and his wife Rody reside in Calabasas and have three adult children and two grandchildren.

Having traveled to France in the past, Jacob looks forward to a return visit leading this fine team of young professionals.

About District 5260

DISTRICT 5260 is a very large and diverse Rotary District in Southern California, USA. It extends from the suburbs of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley), North through the Santa Clarita Valley, into the Mojave Desert (Palmdale, Lancaster, Rosamond and Edwards Air Force Base) finally North about 200 miles to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the communities of Bishop and Mammoth Lakes.

In addition to their vocational counterparts, we hope to show your GSE Team the California urban, suburban, desert and mountain lifestyles. Because the Los Angeles area has ethnic populations from all over the world, your GSE Team will also have a real variety of cultural experiences.

For more information about District 5260 please visit our website at www.rotary5260.org.

Rotary InternationalDistrict 5260

Greetings from CaliforniaSalutations de la Californie

Group Study ExchangeDistrict 5260

toDistrict 1790

Team Leader, Jacob ”Yasha” Castroll, Team Leader

with his team members from left

Richard Cortés, Meghan Matthies,

Moussa Helo and below Sofia Pop Perez

Page 2: Rotary International District 5260 · Greetings from District 5260. I am ... Greetings from California Salutations de la Californie Group Study Exchange District 5260 to District

Meghan Matthies - Team Member

Born and raised in Salem, Oregon, Meghan moved to Malibu to attend Pepperdine University in 2000. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Organiza-tional Communication from Pepperdine and is about to graduate with her Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Meghan now works for the City of Calabasas in Special Events. She currently

plans and implements a wide variety of special events for the City. Meghan thrives on the ever-changing work load and used her experience to plan her own special event last May, her wedding.

Meghan has previously lived overseas in both Heidelberg, Germany and Florence, Italy. In Heidelberg, she studied Humani-ties and German while traveling on the weekends to Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy and Poland. It was an experience that opened her eyes to the world of travel and adventure. While in Florence, she attended Studio Arts Center International (SACI), where she studied art history as well as her favorite medium, Batik. She was able to travel all over Italy while enjoying all of its cultural and culinary delights.

In her spare time, Meghan enjoys riding horses and hanging out at the beach. Meghan also volunteers at the Los Angeles County Animal Shelter in Agoura Hills where she enjoys working with cats and helping them find new homes. She was recently married last May to her college sweetheart and lives in Calabasas with her Husband and two Cats.

Richard Cortés - Team Member

Richard, 35, serves profession-ally as an academic counselor at Glendale Community College and as an adjunct faculty member for the Educational Psychology and Counseling program at California State University Northridge. He was born and raised in New York City until the age of 13, then moved to Los Angeles, California, to escape the harsh east coast climate. Richard’s ethnic roots

stem from the Central American Republic of Honduras

For the past 10 years, he has served as counselor for 5 commu-nity colleges in the Southern California region. His professional duties include personal and career counseling, and serving and mentoring disenfranchised students. His experience growing up in a mostly violent and marginalized community has influenced Richard to dedicate his life to the betterment of minority and underserved youth. He has received accolades from the Califor-nia State Assembly, Los Angeles City Council, and Universities for his volunteerism and mentoring. At Glendale Community College, Richard serves as a Rotaract Club advisor.

Academically, Richard earned both his Master of Science degree in Counseling and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology at California State University Northridge, and he recently received his Doctor of Philosophy in Education degree from Claremont Graduate University. Richard’s primary research interests are focused on social justice counseling issues and the socio-psychological factors of low-income minority and immigrant college students. He has published several articles for peer-reviewed education and psychological journals.

Richard is married with no children, yet. He and his wife enjoy traveling, snorkeling in the Caribbean, and spending time with family.

Sofia Pop Perez - Team Member

Sofia Pop is a broadcast journalist who graduated from California State University Dominguez Hills with a B.A. Degree in Communications with an emphasis in Mass Media. She works as a reporter at Hawthorne Community Television and as a news assignment editor at KCBS/KCAL-TV

She has field-produced stories dealing with animal abuse, identity theft and veterans of war. She was honored by the Humane Society of the United States for raising awareness of animal issues. Her favorite part of the job is meeting people from all walks of life because she learns something new everyday. Some of her most memorable interviews include Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas and meeting a veteran who was a POW with former presidential candidate John McCain during the Vietnam War.Television is a very powerful medium and she takes her respon-sibility to serve the community everyday very seriously. As a news assignment editor she is in constant communication with

Moussa Helo - Team Member

Moussa Helo, age 29, is a naturalized US Citizen having been born in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 7. After High School he attended law school in Lansing, Michigan. He currently lives in Sun Valley, CA where he is a certified law clerk at a civil litigation firm.

Along with his duties as a law clerk Moussa also volunteers at the Los Angeles City Attorney’’s Office where he conducts witness interviews and represents the people of Los Angeles in many legal proceed-ings.

Moussa is proud of the fact that as well as holding down these two positions he just graduated from law school where he was on the Dean’’s list in both undergratuate and law school..

LOS ANGELES

BISHOPMAMMOTH

BURBANK

LANCASTSERPALM DALE

SANTA CLARITA

SAN FERNANDO

LA CRESCENTA

ROSAMOND

GLENDALE

EAGLE ROCKATWATER

UNIVERSALCITY

VAN NUYS

ANTELOPE VALLEY

CALABASAS

CANOGAWINNETKA

STUDIO CITYSHERMAN OAKS

G R A N A D O

NO. HOLLYWOOD

CHATSWORTHSUNDLAND/TUJUNGA

SUN VALLEY

TARZANA/ENCINO

WOODLAND HILLS LA CANADA / FLINTRIDGE

Map of District 5260. North to South is about 350 milesEast to West is about 30 milesIt is out of proportion to showcities with clubs.

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police and fire officials to monitor what is happening around the city to help keep the community informed. She is a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.While in college she worked as an English tutor for Jr. High school students and counseled them on college requirements, a job she thoroughly enjoyed and found to be very rewarding. Recently she took her first trip overseas to China where she visited Beijing and Shanghai. She was fascinated to see the beauty of the Chinese culture and the kindness of its people. Sofia is honored and thankful to have been chosen as a member of the GSE team and is looking forward to this learning adventure

.