President-Elect Dr. Sally Mingarelli

I am excited to have this opportunity to share a bit about my transition year and my joyful preparations for becoming SYA’s fourth President in July. Over this year, I have fully enjoyed beginning to build the relationships that will be the foundation of my exciting work ahead. From SYA board members to our member school heads and from the North Andover team to the campus-based faculty and staff in Europe, I have found SYA to be an organization unified by deep passion and the sincere belief in the life-altering impact of immersive learning abroad. True to form, my most immersive learning about SYA this year occurred on my trip in March to visit the three campuses in Rennes, Viterbo, and Zaragoza!   

Walking through the historic farmers market, Le Marché des Lices, in Rennes on a Saturday morning with six students from schools across the U.S., we discussed the unusual combination of confidence and humility that SYA builds. Students reflected on how often they had to make mistakes to learn and how comfortable they have become with learning through errors and embracing imperfection. Working with high school students since 2001, I have observed both how increasingly difficult it has become for students to develop this curious and fearless mindset and how crucial it is for deep learning. The SYA experience gives students many things, and that grit and resilience will be a gift that lasts a lifetime. 

 Moving through a school day at SYA France I had the chance to watch students debate how passivity is a form of agency in a translation of Albert Camus’ The Outsider, derive the Law of Cosines, analyze Francophone culture in Senegal, engage in off-campus field work for Art History and Environmental Science, and work on their Capstone projects. What a day! I was struck in every classroom by the holistic participation by all students, reminding me that this collection of young people self-selected for an abroad adventure that requires them to be risk takers, and that propensity to lean in showed up in the classroom as well as in their broader lives navigating the city, language, and culture. 

 Sitting over cappuccinos in a piazza in Viterbo with four students, I asked them each to describe in one to three words how SYA has changed them. They agreed that their growth could best be described as building independence, but together; deeper gratitude; and the ability to embrace mistakes. I appreciated that like their peers in France, they highlighted their newfound ability to see mistakes as learning opportunities; and I was struck by how astutely they described the collaborative nature of building independence. While the two concepts can at first seem at odds, the shared challenges of cultural and language immersion allow students to practice discerning moments where they should push through something on their own from moments where they should ask for help. SYA’s commitment to building “independence and interdependence” was on full display for me in this conversation. 

When I was visiting the SYA Italy campus, students and teachers were preparing to “move the school to Sicily” the following week. I enjoyed putting on my former Director of Experiential Learning hat to observe and analyze the thoughtful way in which this trip was being fully woven into the curriculum. In every classroom over two days, teachers and students were engaged in defining the research questions that would be pursued during their week in Sicily; and in every case, the pursuit of these questions would require engaging with people in order to learn. The SYA experiential learning curriculum is best practice on display; from these week-long trips to the weekly full-day or half-day local trips the SYA classroom truly spans the city, region, and country! 

Riding with a student on the Tranvia de Zaragoza to his host family’s home for dinner, I was aware of the profound impact of SYA’s deeply committed host families on the student experience. The homestays drive both language and cultural immersion, but also wrap each student in the palpable love and care of a family; a family that, in many cases, stays with them for life. And these relationships are truly reciprocal, also enriching the lives of the host families and their communities. When I was growing up, in a suburb outside of Rochester, NY, my family served as a host family for Rotary exchange students seven times. Over 30 years later, we still visit with my former exchange sisters in Denmark, Germany, and France and my exchange brother in Brazil. I am so grateful that SYA students have the opportunity to build these incredible life-long relationships! 

Across all three of my campus visits I had the opportunity to connect with the SYA team members on site, from the hard-working coordinators who manage home stays, activities, and independent travel to the dynamic local and U.S. faculty members and inspiring Resident Directors. Without exception, every conversation demonstrated that SYA people are mission-aligned and student-centered, making every decision with deep consideration for students’ learning, safety, and joy. The work they do has a visible, life-changing impact on their students, who I could see in their shared bravery, curiosity, and empathy were actively coming to better understand the world and, in turn, coming to understand themselves. 

I am sincerely grateful for the privilege to lead SYA. I look to the future with incredible optimism for SYA’s continued significance in preparing students to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. I am excited to focus in my first year on building relationships with the many key SYA stakeholders, listening and learning from you all. Together we will chart SYA’s course into its most brilliant and impactful future. I cannot wait to get started!