Meet SYA Students

SYA students come from all walks of life and from every corner of the country. Since SYA's founding in 1964, over 8,000 students from over 1,000 high schools have embarked on the adventure of SYA. While there is no "typical" SYA student, what all SYAers have in common is an insatiable curiosity and a willingness to venture out of their comfort zone. Meet a few recent SYA students below and learn more about who they are and how their experiences in China, France, Italy, or Spain impacted their lives. 

Meet Vance

  • Attended: SYA China as a Junior
  • Home School: Concord Academy
  • Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
  • Interests: film, reading, lacrosse, singing, dance, science, Chinese history and literature

Meet Kimiye

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  • ​Attended: SYA Italy as a Junior
  • Home School: 'Iolani School
  • Hometown: Honolulu, HI
  • Interests: graphic design, orchestra, springboard diving and napping

Meet Cara

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  • Attended: SYA Spain as a Sophomore
  • Home School: Cheltenham High School
  • Hometown: Wyncote, PA
  • Interests: environmental science, art, running, hiking, skiing, traveling and reading good books

Meet Gardner

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  • ​Attended: SYA France as a Junior
  • Home School: Avon Old Farms
  • Hometown: Far Hills, NJ
  • Interests: playing squash, eating and all things aviation

Meet Erin

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  • ​Attended: SYA Spain as a Junior
  • Home School: Oregon Episcopal School
  • Hometown: Portland, OR
  • Interests: art history, painting, film, set design, linguistics, computational linguistics, foreign languages, travel and poetry

Meet Jack

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  • ​Attended: SYA China as a Senior
  • Home School: Torrey Pines High School
  • Hometown: San Diego, CA
  • Interests: research, development, economics, travel, yoga, reading, Chinese and learning anything new about the world we live in today

Meet Lena

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  • ​Attended: SYA China as a Junior
  • Home School: The Winsor School
  • Hometown: Newton, MA
  • Interests: dance, foreign languages and math

Meet Defne

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  • Attended: SYA France as a Junior
  • Home School: The Thacher School
  • Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

  • Interests: international studies (politics, cultures and languages), reading, writing, basketball, acting and playing the upright bass

Meet Ellis

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  • Attended: SYA Spain as a Junior
  • Home School: St. Paul's School
  • Hometown: Detroit, MI
  • Interests:  politics, travel, movies, French, Spanish, music, mentoring and curating Instagram

Meet Angelina

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  • Attended: SYA Italy as a Junior
  • Home School: University Liggett School
  • Hometown: Grosse Ponte, MI
  • Interests: playing tennis, listening to too much music, going thrift/vintage shopping, traveling and being around loved ones

Meet Matt

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  • ​Attended: SYA China as a Junior
  • Home School: Kent Denver School
  • Hometown: Denver, CO
  • Interests: cooking, reading, running, soccer, singing, playing guitar and ceramics

Meet Tatiana

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  • ​Attended: SYA Spain as a Junior
  • Home School: The Spence School
  • Hometown: New York, NY
  • Interests: history, cinema, international relations, law, golf, tennis, traveling and photography  

Meet Blaise

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  • ​Attended: SYA Spain as a Junior
  • Home School: National Cathedral School
  • Hometown: Washington, DC
  • Interests: track and field, volleyball, Model United Nations and social justice work

Meet Anna 

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  • ​Attended: SYA France as a Junior
  • Home School: The Westminster School
  • Hometown: Atlanta, GA
  • Interests: Biking, ukulele, drawing, baking and going on adventures 

Meet Sabra

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  • ​Attended: SYA Italy as a Junior
  • Home School: Noble and Greenough School
  • Hometown: Wayland, MD
  • Interests: hiking, being outdoors, playing sports, music, singing in a blues and soul band, reading and baking

To speak with a recent SYA student and learn more about life abroad with SYA, please contact our Admissions team.
Email: sya.admissions@sya.org
Phone: 978.725.6828