Teen face: Willie Wilson

Personal: Willie Wilson is a 17-year-old senior at Analy High School. He lives in Sebastopol with his dad, Guy, and mom, Janis. He has an older brother, Guy Jr., 22, and older sister, Valerie, 21. The family pets include Tucker, a chocolate Labrador famous for epic eating, and a 20-year-old cat named Betsy.

Exchanging a hall pass for a passport: How do you become a trilingual world traveler? According to Willie Wilson, you sign up for cultural exchanges in high school -- or even before.

"When I was 13, I went to live in France in a program called En Famille," he said. "For six months, I lived with a fantastic French family. We're still in touch.

"By the end of my freshman year, I was craving another adventure, and a next-door neighbor told me about her plans to go to Hungary on a Rotary program. So I applied," Wilson said.

Rosetta Stone experience: For his junior year, he spent 10 months living with three families near Lake Como in Italy. To prepare, he completed special classes at the junior college that allowed him to bank up his required credits and enjoy the cultural experience.

"Yeah, Lake Como. It was brutal," he joked of the famously beautiful region on the Swiss-Italian border.

His first stop was a village of just 800 people with much of the daily activity centering around the town plaza and youth center.

His favorite event there was an annual nighttime chase in which teenagers play the parts of barnyard animals and teams of little children with flashlights run around trying to "catch" as many animals as possible.

Wilson was a quacking duck, hiding with two girls clucking like chickens.

"It was a wonderful experience. Something that you would never expect, but it was just this great thing they did in this little town for fun," he said.

Taking stock: When he moved to a larger town, Wilson enjoyed talking to natives in Italian about politics and world cultures. When a group of girls from school insisted he get his long hair cut, he enjoyed their concerned bossiness regarding his style.

"I really changed over my Italian exchange. Not just the way I look, but the way I look at the world. I'm more open-minded and curious," he said.

A Jazzy senior year: This year, Wilson will be studying algebra and Advanced Placement government, history, rhetoric and physics as well as continuing to play the alto saxophone in the Analy Honor and Jazz bands. He maintains a 3.73 grade-point average.

"Jazz band starts at 6:45 a.m., so it can be a little grueling. When I go to college, I'll pack my sax. I'll be jamming my whole life," he said.

His favorite time spent with friends includes weekend poker nights playing Texas hold 'em and seven-card stud.

His favorite movie is "The Godfather." Favorite book? "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," by Hunter S. Thompson.

The best advice he's ever gotten from an adult came from his Aunt Jackie who told him to always "roll your own dice."

"It's practically my life slogan now," Wilson said.

The Wilsons -- exchange enthusiasts: His family has played host to visiting students from various countries over many years.

This year, they have welcomed 16-year-old Jorge Escalante from Mexico.

"The beauty of exchange programs is any family can participate. So far, I've taken Jorge to a football game. I think he's having fun," Wilson said.

East Coast launching pad: He plans to study international relations and hopes to land a spot at Georgetown, George Washington University or American University.

He is intrigued by a diplomatic career path.

"My senior year will be exciting because I'm excited about planning my college career. I owe Rotary such a big thank you for inviting me to the program," he said.

-- Rayne Wolfe