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GSE 2007-08 to India

GSE Team Leader

Larry Sundram

Rotary Club of Vista
Larry is past President of the Rotary Club of Vista and a long time member of their Board. In addition to being GSE team leader, he is very active in providing support to the United States Marine Corps and especially wounded Marines and their families.

In addition to Rotary, he has served as a member of the local Planning Council. He ran for political office and was elected President of the Water District that serves residents in North San Diego County. He is a past Board Member of the Vista Chamber of Commerce. He occasionally serves as volunteer teacher at local high schools where he teaches failing students: "How to become a Success in America". He also teaches senior citizens how to use and maintain their Personal Computers.

Larry retired after a 30 year career in insurance and financial services. He was President of Prudential Property and Casualty - a company with $4 billion in assets, $2 billion in revenue, and 6,500 employees. He created and managed several startups in the banking and insurance sectors and been active on their Boards. Larry is a Chartered Life Underwriter, a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, and has held the National Association of Security Dealers regulatory and supervisory licenses.

Larry left India when he was 20 years old after attending Don Bosco High School and St. Xavier’s College in Bombay. He received his B.A. from Niagara University, New York and later earned a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Larry’s mother grew up in Kashmir, India. His father attended St. Joseph’s school and college, in Trichy, India. Later, his family moved to Bombay where his father was an Economics professor at the University of Bombay and Chairman of the Indian Institute of Bankers.

Larry and his wife Linda (also a Rotarian) spent most of their professional lives on the east coast of the U.S. They decided that when it was time to retire they would find the "best place in the world". They spent 10 years evaluating 300 metropolitan areas all over the world. They visited 40 cities in both summer and winter and eventually selected 6 for a test. They lived in each of these for a month and finally selected San Diego County. Larry and Linda have no children so they travel extensively and grow avocados (alligator-pears) as a hobby.

GSE Team Members

Anthony La Rue

Cherokee Point Elementary
San Diego Unified School District
Anthony La Rue was born the youngest child of four in San Diego. He grew up in the San Diego community of City Heights. He is the first in his family to graduate from college.

Anthony decided to become educator when he was in the tenth grade of high school. During this time he volunteered at a local elementary school and realized the effect of a positive role model on young children. He has dedicated his life and time to teaching children how to reach their highest potential. Anthony believes that access to an education is the key to obtaining success in this world.

As a graduate of San Diego State University, Anthony obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies and a Masters Degree in Education.

Anthony is currently a kindergarten teacher with San Diego Unified School District. He works at Cherokee Point Elementary school in the same community, City Heights, in which he grew up as a child. He has worked as an elementary school educator for nine years; teaching young children how to read, write, and become productive members of society. His main goal as a teacher is to ensure each one of his students leave his classroom with the belief they can make it in this world no matter what obstacles stand in their way.

Anthony also enjoys painting, writing short stories, and poetry. His favorite music is Jazz. He is still learning how to play the trumpet. He has been an electrician since he was five-years old. His dad has taught him everything about electrical work. Anthony sometimes works with his dad as an electrician during the summer months.

Anthony still continues to further his education, help his community, volunteer, and provide guidance for the youth of America. Anthony strives to be an excellent role model for the 21st century.

Bridget Persons

San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts
San Diego Unified School District
Bridget is a third generation San Diego educator. Her mother was a teacher in the Santee school district and founder and director of a local private school. Her grandfather, the late Howard Weisbrod, taught science at Kearny High School, was a National Science Teacher of the Year and is best known for founding the San Diego International Science and Engineering Fair.

An English teacher at her high school Alma Mater, the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, Bridget has served as Department Chair, Western Association of Schools and Colleges Coordinator, Impact Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator and Using Data Project Facilitator. She received her BA in English from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, her credential from Point Loma Nazarene University and her Masters in Educational Leadership from Chapman University. She has been nominated for teacher of the year seven times.

Bridget’s passions are: travel, the arts and education. At the age of 9, she experienced her first international travel with her grandparents to visit family in Guatemala. Since that time, she has explored over 12 countries on 5 continents including Mongolia, Tibet, Kenya and Iceland. She and her brother and sister spent much of their youth involved at the San Diego Junior Theatre where their mother also served on the Board of Directors. She remains involved in the arts through volunteer work for Junior Theatre, her work at the School of Creative and Performing Arts, and her support of her brother, Chip, in his professional acting career.

Bridget looks forward to the new perspective Rotary GSE’s blending of travel and education can provide in order to benefit San Diego’s youth.

Julie Tandon

Hilltop High School Sweetwater Union High School District Julie Tandon was born in Longview, Washington but grew up in northern Montana. While working on her B.A. in Modern Languages from the University of Portland, Julie participated in an exchange program to Germany. What began as a four month exchange, however, soon turned out to be a 10 year-long stay. Julie completed her M.A. in Linguistics at the University of Freiburg, Germany, while working as a free-lance business-English trainer for local companies.

After returning to the United States, Julie received her teaching credential from the University of San Diego. She is currently in her fourth year of teaching English Language Development and 10th grade English at Hilltop High School. Julie is actively involved in English Learner Advocacy at Hilltop and serves as the Principal’s Designee for English Learners and as a member of the EL Standards and Assessment Team.

In her free time, Julie enjoys hiking and camping with her husband, Tarun. She is a member of a Middle Eastern Dance troupe and studies Egyptian folkloric dances. An avid traveler, Julie has traveled in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. This year, Julie will represent her school as an exchange teacher to Changchun, China.

Sarah Clark

Vista High School
Vista Unified School District
Sarah was born in Aurora, Illinois, but moved to California with her family at the age of three. She received a BA in history from University of California at Santa Barbara, and then went on to attain her teaching credential in social studies, and her masters in education. She began her teaching career in Vista, Ca and has been teaching there for six years.

Sarah teaches World History at Vista High School. She previously taught Advanced Placement European history, and was the lead of the AVID program for two years. Sarah also devotes herself to curriculum development for World History, and participates in the 9th grade committee for benchmark assessments.

In her free time Sarah enjoys reading, some of her favorite authors are Tom Robbins, Margaret Atwood, and John Irving. She also loves going to aerobics classes, spending time with her husband Tyler, and playing at the dog park with her two Boston terriers, Dave and Frank. Sarah is honored to be a part of the GSE Rotary trip to India and is looking forward to a wonderful learning experience.

Tim Dobbins

Montgomery Middle School
Cajon Valley School District
Tim was born in Inglewood, CA, but has called San Diego, CA home since the age of 4 months. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in English and American Literature from San Diego State University, Tim went on to study Educational Technology and earn his Master’s Degree from National University.

Tim has been teaching in the Cajon Valley Union School district for the past 10 years. He is currently spending his days with 6th graders teaching Math, Science and Reader’s Theatre. The previous 9 years were spent at Bostonia Elementary, also teaching 6th grade, in a self-contained classroom. He also teaches computer technology classes at Azusa Pacific University to new teachers.

Tim recently was awarded a scholarship through the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund, and will be spending 3 weeks in June of 2007 working with teachers and government officials in Japan.

When not in the classroom at home or abroad, Tim enjoys reading, computers, fishing, camping, and spending time with his wife and daughter. Tim is honored to be representing Rotary in the GSE venture to India in 2007-08!