Meet Rika - SYA Italy 2026
Extracurriculars Abroad: I mainly did ballet classes, cello lessons, and an orchestra program, but I also took a cooking class, watercoloring classes, and I did tutoring for English at a local Italian high school
Favorite SYA Class: My favorite class was Experiential Italian, because we learned a lot about Italian culture outside of just the language, and we were able to interact with local people around Italy to really have an experience-based learning.
Favorite Food in Italy: My favorite food was definitely pasta, I could eat it every day and not get tired of it because there are so many different variations.
How did SYA impact your college search process?
I think SYA impacted my college search process because it made me feel more confident to explore more international options or places that I am not as familiar with.
Do you have a favorite memory with your host family?
One of my favorite memories with my host family was making Japanese curry with them and sharing it together at lunch. We bought the ingredients and worked together while cooking, figuring out a recipe that worked with what ingredients and supplies we had. They all really liked the typical Japanese home-cooked meal and it was an amazing bonding and cultural experience for both me and my host family.
What did you learn abroad that surprised you?
Something very surprising that I learned abroad was independent time management. In the first week of school, my alarm didn’t go off and I had to run to school, late by five minutes. From then on, I set multiple alarms on two devices to make sure I always woke up on time. Not having my actual parents around to make sure I was awake, or to remind me to finish all of my work, have enough time to get ready for my extracurricular activities, or even make it back into town for curfew really reinforced my independence I gained regarding time management and I am grateful for this growing experience.