School Year Abroad (SYA)

Every student should have the opportunity to study with SYA. The 7 months I spent in Zaragoza, Spain changed the trajectory of my life through the program’s emphasis on cultural immersion, curiosity, and independence. I made lifelong friends and still feel that I have a home in Spain. The most valuable skill I learned was how to be comfortable being uncomfortable, something made easy with the supportive and welcoming staff. Classmates, teachers, and host families become family in the close-knit community that powers the program.

SYA was hands down one of the best experiences I have ever had. The program helped me grow in self confidence, intercultural competency, and independence. Living with a host family was yet another incredible experience, and also a ton of fun. The school itself was set up for student success and I always felt like I had a ton of support from not only fellow students, but the SYA faculty as well. From making friends I am still in touch with today, to traveling around Spain and Portugal, the entire program was educational and so much fun!

I had the most amazing experience at SYA Italy. My host family was a perfect match and I learned so much from them. They welcomed my like a member of their family and I have so many amazing memories with them. The friendships I made are ones I know I will have for life. The experiences I had with my classmates are ones that very few people could have at this age. The most amazing part of this journey was the way I was able to learn a language from nothing in such a short amount of time. My teachers were so helpful in making sure we were understanding and enjoying what we are doing. Going to SYA was the best decision I could have made.

SYA Italy was an incredible program! l had a phenomenal experience with my host family and the program is very intentional about creating the host family parings and having students integrated into the local community. SYA Italy has amazing professors who were very helpful in not only our transition to living abroad, but also learning Italian and keeping our other academics strong. I loved living in Viterbo and would highly recommend studying abroad with SYA! It is a super fun year, you learn a lot, and you get a once in a lifetime experience to travel abroad and live in a new country!

My name is Jacob Sherwindt, and I am a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University and an alum of SYA Spain, class of 2020. My year in Zaragoza has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life. I was able to gain fluency in Spanish, meet lifelong friends, and broaden my global perspective.

Every part of SYA was a dream come true for 17 year old me. My host family quickly became my second family, and the city of Zaragoza became a new home for me. SYA does a fantastic job of providing relevant and rewarding classes for their students, and I took full advantage of this opportunity. For the first time in my life, I woke up each morning excited to go to class. That feeling was irreplaceable, and I hope that many more students get to feel the same way during their study abroad experience.