Rotary District 7870's Germany GSE Team: All About Jodi

Hi Everyone! I'm Jodi Harper, one of the team members heading to Germany in May. Needless to say, I am very excited for this opportunity to participate in this exchange program. I currently run an afterschool program for students in grades 4-12 in Manchester, NH called B.R.I.N.G. I.T.!!! (Bringing Refugees, Immigrants, and Neighbors Gently Into Tomorrow) where I've been on staff as the Program Coordinator since June of 2009. Before that I was a volunteer with the program through City Year New Hampshire.

It's hard to believe I've been calling New Hampshire 'home' for the last five years. I was born and raised in rural West Michigan, growing up on the family farm my great-grandpa Johannes started after immigrating from the Netherlands in the early 1900's. After getting our first pet rabbits when I was nine years old, service and agriculture played a big role in my growth and development. My siblings and I got involved in the local rabbit 4-H club so we could show our bunnies in the county fair that summer. I can only imagine what my parents thought when they realized that those four rabbits would lead to all of the sheep, feeder calves, and steers we ended up raising! I stayed very actively involved in 4-H during my school years, and when high school came I joined the Montage FFA Chapter to help continue my learning about agriscience and leadership development opportunities.

After High School I went to Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan where I studied elementary education. After spending a year getting used the adjustment from high school to college I became very involved on campus, working at the Student Leadership and Activities office, and joining campus organizations such as Phi Sigma Sigma, Student Government, the Student Homecoming Committee, and the Professional Fraternity Council. All of my campus involvement got me thinking about my education and brought me from wanting to try and make an impact in the classroom to focusing more on the community. Fast-forward a few years, and here I am in New Hampshire, working on my fifth school year working with the students in my program and loving it, probably working more than I should admit to. As a craft-enthusiast, especially quilting, knitting, and crochet, I can usually be found in my off-hours working on my latest project or wandering around New England in search of new yarn and fabric stores.