Name: J. Michael Lindell
Age: 56
Family: Married 29 years to the former Deborah Reynolds (not really the movie star) with four children, ages 24, 24, 17 and 13.
Pets: One indoor dog (miniature poodle) and one outdoor dog (labrador mix).
Education: University of Florida, College of Law, 1978, J. D. with honors; University of North Carolina, 1975, B.A., double major: English, economics.
Admitted to the Bar: 1978
Employment: Lindell & Farson
Field of practice: Complex civil litigation (board certified civil trial lawyer) and general business litigation (board certified business litigation attorney).
Professional Organizations: The Jacksonville Bar Association; Florida Bar; Christian Legal Society; South Mandarin/N.W. St. Johns County Lawyers’ Association (organizational stage)
Community involvement: For this article, I was asked to relate something about my family’s experiences with hosting foreign exchange students sponsored by our local Rotary Club, Mandarin.
Over the course of the last seven school years, we have hosted six foreign exchange students. Each of these students spent a full school year at Mandarin High School attending classes. Typically, they arrive the beginning of August and return home the following June or July. Their foreign exchange experience is made possible by the Rotary Youth Exchange Program of Rotary International.
Before becoming eligible, a student goes through a screening process conducted in the Rotary District of his or her country of origin. If the student is determined to have the temperament, language skills, academic background and other capabilities to travel abroad for a full year, they are then eligible for sponsorship by their local Rotary club as an “outbound” student to another country.
Before agreeing to host an “inbound” student from another country, a prospective host family receives detailed information about the student. Most of the time, a host family is only required to commit to hosting the student for three months of their entire stay. Our first student stayed with us a full 12 months. Most of the others stayed with us the majority of the school year. Our students have always become an immediate part of all family activities. Invariably, the students are very precocious, having been selected in most cases from many competing applicants. For example, our Swedish “son” was the top student in his honors English class. Our recent Japanese “daughter” was the top student in her Algebra II class. (Is there some irony in an exchange student tutoring your own children?) There are many special memories and rewards for this experience. As an example, not a birthday, anniversary, or holiday goes by without our first exchange student “Ling” calling and wishing us all well and updating us on the progress of her career.
How can someone get involved?
Go to Rotary Youth Exchange Florida website: www.ryeflorida.org. You can submit a “youth exchange inquiry form” online to obtain additional information. You can also contact any local Rotarian.
What have you learned through the experience?
I believe that one of the best ways we can promote international goodwill is by allowing students from other diverse cultures to live with us for an extended time and then send them back to leadership positions within their own countries with, hopefully, a more positive and constructive view of America than what they may have brought with them from watching CNN.
What was the last book you read?
“The Race” by Tim Zimmermann, a book about a nonstop, around-the-world sailing competition.