Warm welcome to region

French exchange student begins year in Fredonia through Rotary program

A 16-year-old student from southwestern France has arrived in Fredonia to spend the 2026-27 school year experiencing American life, making new friends and becoming part of the local community through the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

Pia Derreumaux, of Anglet, a town of 43,00 in southwest France, arrived at Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Aug. 24 following a 15-hour journey that included four airplane flights. She was welcomed at the airport by members of the Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia.

Pia will remain in the United States through May and will attend Fredonia High School as a senior. She hopes to play soccer for the Fredonia High School team.

An outgoing and energetic young woman, Pia describes herself as cheerful, curious and eager to try new things. Soccer is a major part of her life, and she recently played for Biarritz Football Club in France. She enjoys almost all sports, as well as music of all kinds.

She also enjoys cooking and baking, particularly making cookies and lasagna for her family.

Pia brings considerable international experience to her exchange year. She has traveled extensively with her family and previously lived in Spain, where she learned both Spanish and Catalan. She has visited the United States twice before, including a six-week short-term exchange experience in Minnesota last year. That experience sparked her interest in returning to the United States for a much longer stay through Rotary Youth Exchange.

"I was very happy with my experience in Minnesota, and it made me want to discover more about American life and culture," Pia said. "I am very grateful for the opportunity to be here, to discover a new culture, meet new people, and experience life in this wonderful community, including American football.  From the very beginning, I have felt welcomed and supported, and I truly appreciate all the kindness and generosity that has been shown to me.  Go Bills!"

Pia is also interested in a future career in sports management, particularly as a sports talent agent.

Her personal background includes five years in scouting, where she learned about teamwork, service and community involvement. She has also regularly babysat for a family with four children. Those experiences, she says, have helped her become responsible, organized and independent.

Pia is being hosted by the McMurtry-d'Amato family of Maple Avenue in Fredonia. The family includes a daughter, Claire, who is also a senior at Fredonia High School.

"We are very excited to have Pia become part of our family and our community," said Pia's host mom Lynne McMurtry. "I was a Rotary exchange student myself, and lived in Australia for 11 months after graduating from high school. I had an incredible series of experiences there. We are delighted to carry on the Rotary tradition and look forward to showing Pia around western New York. I know she is interested in football and the National Women's Soccer League, so we hope we can get her to a game or two!  Additionally, our daughter, Claire, is studying French and is very excited to have a native French speaker in the house to practice with." 

Rotary Youth Exchange gives young people ages 15 to 19 the opportunity to spend time in another country, attend a local school and live with host families while experiencing another culture firsthand. Long-term exchanges generally last an entire academic year. Rotary clubs sponsor Youth Exchange students in more than 100 countries around the world.

The program is designed not simply to send young people abroad, but to promote international understanding. Students experience another culture while sharing their own, develop friendships and leadership skills, and return home with a broader understanding of the world. District 7090 describes Youth Exchange as an opportunity to learn a new language and culture, embrace cultural differences and become a global citizen.

The Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia has participated in Youth Exchange for many years, both hosting international students and helping young people from the local community have exchange experiences abroad. Over the years, numerous local families have opened their homes to students from other countries.

In the Dunkirk-Fredonia program, a student typically lives with three different host families during the nine-month school year, spending approximately three months with each family. Host families have consistently reported that the experience of welcoming an international student into their homes has been highly rewarding.

"Hosting an exchange student is an opportunity for a family to experience another culture without leaving home," said Diane Hannum, Youth Exchange Chair for the Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia. "Rotary's Youth Exchange Program promotes cultural understanding and friendship. It's a rewarding experience for everyone involved: the student, the school, the host families, and the community."

The Dunkirk-Fredonia club is part of Rotary District 7090, which includes 75 Rotary and Rotaract clubs throughout Western New York and Southern Ontario. District 7090 has a particularly distinctive place in Rotary history: its roots date to 1918, when it became the first Rotary district to serve clubs in two countries -- the United States and Canada. It has continued that cross-border tradition as Rotary's "Best of Friends" District.

Host families still needed

The Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia is currently seeking additional host families for the remainder of Pia's exchange year. Host families do not need to be Rotary members. The principal requirement is a willingness to welcome an international student into their home and share their family and community life with her.

Families interested in learning more about hosting Pia, or volunteering to serve as a host family, may contact the Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia at durkikfredoniarotaryclub@gmail.com.

For Pia, the year ahead represents much more than attending an American high school. It is an opportunity to experience a new culture, develop friendships, improve her English, pursue her love of soccer and sports, and become part of a community thousands of miles from her home in France.

And for the Fredonia community, it is an opportunity to discover a little more about France through a cheerful, curious and adventurous 16-year-old who is eager to see what the next nine months will bring.