Meet Isabel- SYA Italy 2022
Extracurriculars Abroad: Soccer (calcio!), Ceramics, Gemallagio, Yearbook, SYA Eco Club, SYA Law
Favorite SYA Class: Experiential Italian
Favorite Food in France: Stracciatella e nocciola gelato
School You Attend: Chadwick High School
Q: How SYA impacted your college application process
A: Currently, I am a junior, so I have not started college applications yet. However, I can already tell that because of the independence I found within myself at SYA and the new trust I have in myself to be able to live away from home, I will be much more open to places that are far away or would put me out of my comfort zone.
Q: One of your favorite host family memories
A: I had so many amazing moments with my host family, but I think one that stuck out to me was a lunch during one of the first weekends I was in Italy. We went to Tuscania, a small town in the countryside, for lunch with my host family’s close friends. We stayed there the whole afternoon, cooking and setting the table before eating outside with all twenty people sitting at one long table. It was so much to take in, especially not knowing much Italian at the time. I loved spending time with my host family while meeting their close friends, helping to make new dishes, and experiencing the first of my many, many afternoon-long lunches to come.
Q: What did you learn abroad that surprised you
A: Something that SYA taught me was how to travel well. In the United States, I live in a place where there is not good public transportation. However, in Italy, I used public transportation like buses and trains all the time, so now I feel confident in my ability to get around and navigate the area I’m in while traveling. Also, I had to learn how to book hotels, which was a new experience, and learn how to plan out what I was going to do in places for my independent travel trip. Now, I know how to plan trips for the future.
