About Me

My name is Nathan Swartz, I am from Ennerdale,South Africa, I believe that we all have a legacy that has the potential of doing great things. We all have the power to leave footprints of change. It may not be the need to do big things but the possibilities of something small and simple.

I am currently an exchange student for South Africa being hosted in DeWitt,Iowa in the United States of America on The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program.Through this I unlocked the joys of intercultural learning and bringing change by building bridges of understanding to span differences and break paradigms that people, cultures, countries have about each other.

Being an exchange student has allowed me to have a complete different outlook in the world, I have discovered so much about my country that I probably would not have known if I didn't take up the challenge.

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him…We need not wait to see what others do.”—Gandhi

As I grew up I have always had the desire to change the vague perspectives among people, allowing others to teach, share and learn about each other. I looked at the many social issues youth faced all around me and I asked could not help but ask myself, "why should I be an observer? looking at these circumstances from a distance? Why can't I be the change?"...and that is my vision; to inspire and empower the youth to look beyond their circumstance and realize that your environment and your current situations should not determine what you are able to achieve.