At last week's meeting, the Atlanta West End Rotary Club had the pleasure of hearing from departing member Sonia Hantman, who shared a moving and wide-ranging reflection on her personal and professional journey across Bulgaria, Sweden, and the United States.

Born in Bulgaria, Sonia moved with her family to Sweden at age 12 following the fall of communism. She spoke about adapting to a new country, language, and culture in Stockholm, where she completed her education and became a licensed optician, one of only 40 trained in Sweden at that time. Her remarks offered members an interesting look at Sweden’s education system, which she described as publicly funded, highly practical, and closely connected to vocational training.

Sonia’s life journey has also been shaped by resilience, service, and deep devotion to her son, Dennis. After the loss of her husband shortly after Dennis was born, Sonia transitioned professionally and personally to create a life centered on family, education, and community. She became an outdoor nursery teacher, founded a children’s social club called “Besties,” and volunteered with a Swedish organization supporting children with disabilities.

A highlight of Sonia’s presentation was hearing about Dennis, a gifted Georgia Tech graduate with a passion for technology, learning, and adaptive sports. Dennis graduated with a 3.97 GPA and participated in wheelchair tennis, sit-skiing, and sailing, including international competitions. He has now been accepted into a master’s program in Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego, choosing the program because of its quality and fit over several other prestigious offers.

Sonia also shared that she and Dennis are pursuing an EB-5 investor visa as a pathway to permanent residency and eventual citizenship. As she prepares for her next chapter in San Diego, Sonia expressed her hope to join a Rotary club there while remaining connected to the Atlanta West End Rotary family.

During the Q&A, Sonia brought humor and warmth to the conversation, sharing that her first stop when returning to Sweden is always the 7-Eleven at Arlanda Airport for a Swedish hot dog, followed closely by a shrimp sandwich known as a “räkmacka.”

Sonia’s presentation was a meaningful reminder of Rotary’s values of resilience, service, connection, and global fellowship. We are grateful for her time with our club and wish Sonia and Dennis continued success in their next chapter.