School Year Abroad in Italy

Each year, Upper School students from grades 10-12 have the opportunity to study outside the United States through the School Year Abroad program.

According to the SYA website, the program focuses on creating an in-depth experience that encompasses both academics and culture while preparing students to thrive independently.

Last August, juniors Morgan Ofenloch and Maya Desai traveled to Viterbo, Italy through Student Year Abroad for the yearlong program.

“Coming to SYA gave me the opportunity to be fully immersed in Italian culture, and we have so many opportunities to explore, travel, and interact with locals as part of our curriculum,” said Desai.

e application process includes three teacher recommendations, an interview with a program alumnus, a personal essay of 500 words, a student information form and a transcript. e application is typically due in early February, and the program runs through late May.

“Greenhill prepared us a lot for the application process in general,” Ofenloch said. “I feel like it wasn’t that di cult.”

Sophomore Grade Dean Jason Gajderowicz said that he educated students on the SYA program and guided Ofenloch and Desai through their application process.

“I [give students] an idea of what [the program] is like,” said Gajderowicz. “I act as a little bit of a liaison between Greenhill and SYA.”

One piece of advice Gajderowicz had to those who were applying was to keep in mind the types of experiences that they would be having.

“I think kids who are kind of interested in maybe a little more adventure [and] would like that immersive experience are good for SYA,” said Gajderowicz.

Ofenloch says she was interested in the program because it was di erent from what she was used to in the U. S.

“I applied because I’ve been living in Texas my whole life and I really wanted to get a change of scenery and a change of culture,” said Ofenloch.

Both Ofenloch and Desai said they felt a sense of excitement when they were accepted into the program.

“I remember feeling really relieved when I saw it because I didn’t even decide to apply until the end of December,” said Desai. “So, I [was] really glad when I got [accepted] and I was really excited.”

When Ofenloch and Desai moved to Italy, they were exposed to new environments and lifestyles.

“I feel like in Italy it’s more of a community than in America and I think [in Italy] it’s more enjoyable,” said Ofenloch.

Although moving to a new country comes with a language barrier, Ofenloch said that the program’s approach to learning a new language made the transition easier.

“It’s just having those language classes every day and also going home and speaking Italian with your host family,” said Ofenloch. “You get to learn the language so much quicker than you would in a classroom.” e SYA sta in Italy comprises both English-speaking and Italian-speaking teachers. However, Desai said she felt as though her elective and linguistic academics were strengthened due to the sta of predominantly Italian teachers.

“I feel like it’s really cool to be taught by non-American teachers because it brings a whole new perspective and a new way of teaching,” said Desai.

Although the Greenhill curriculum aligned fairly well with the SYA curriculum, a handful of courses di ered greatly, the students said.

Ofenloch and Desai had the opportunity to take a science course called Agroecology. During this course, they used more hands-on tactics that are tailored to learning about the natural environment.

“It’s more about learning the culture than the straight facts from the textbook,” said Desai. “Here everything is based on what’s around you.”

As a part of this course, Ofenloch and Desai harvested grapes for wine, picked olives to make olive oil, and tended a garden. eir class periods were 50 minutes long, with ve to six classes a day except for Wednesdays.

“On Wednesdays, we don’t have classes, we have eld work,” said Desai. “So that’s just [when] they give us an activity to do, and we have assignments for three classes.”

Along with taking di erent courses, students also developed a sense of time management and independence through exploring the city.

“Whenever we don’t have class, you can leave and go anywhere as long as you’re at school for class,” said Desai. “So many times, during breaks, we’ll just go to a cafe and get a pastry and a co ee.”

A major challenge that Ofenloch and Desai faced was the language barrier. Since students are paired with host families that are not uent in English, it impacted how they built relationships in their new environments.

“It’s kind of rough in the beginning because you don’t speak any Italian and they barely speak English,” said Ofenloch. “So, you’re trying to communicate with each other through hand gestures and other little actions.” ough communication proved to be di cult for Desai as well, she struggled more with her newfound sense of extroversion and independence.

“I used to be super shy when I was younger [but] that totally changed, especially with this program,” said Desai.

Since Ofenloch and Desai don’t have classes on Wednesdays, the two can frequently use their free time to travel around Italy.

“One of the bigger challenges for me was planning things on my own,” said Desai. “When you go [on the trips] you have to speak a totally di erent language and talk to everyone around you in Italian.”

Part of the SYA Italy program involves independent travel where students can take day or weekend trips to parts of Italy and explore other regions with their peers.

“We have the ability to [take] day trips to anywhere that we can get there and back by the end of the day, which is such an amazing experience,” said Ofenloch.

Ofenloch also said moving from a large city like Dallas to a smaller city like Viterbo, Italy, has been challenging. She compares being able to pick out her favorite snacks among seemingly endless options in America to the limited ones in Viterbo.

“Dallas is such a big city and it’s a place where you can nd anything you want in the palm of your hand,” said Ofenloch. at hasn’t been the case in Viterbo, Ofenloch said.

roughout their rst semester at SYA Italy, both Ofenloch and Desai saw signi cant changes in how they approached their lifestyles.

Desai said she has learned to have a better outlook on life.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself and my attitude toward everything,” said Desai. “I feel like I’ve gotten a much better mindset being here.”

Desai said her changed outlook extends to how she handles failure. She said she now feels that although messing up is normal, she can rebound and nd ways to learn from past errors.

Ofenloch shares this sentiment. She also said she has developed new skills for developing friendships.

“I really want to take that back to some of the people [at Greenhill] who I’ve been with in the grade for so long but haven’t actually had a full conversation with them,” said Ofenloch.

When their time in the program ends in May, Ofenloch and Desai said they hope to keep their many friendships with peers and host families.

“Everybody is really open to the experiences, so friendships here are, like, extremely genuine and extremely amazing,” said Ofenloch. “I hope we can still stay close in the future.”

When Ofenloch and Desai return to Dallas this spring they expect a bit of culture shock.

“‘I’m still excited to go back to Greenhill because it is an amazing school and they are the ones who o ered us this opportunity,” said Ofenloch.

Ofenloch and Desai said they will be returning to Dallas with new skills they’ve developed during their time in Italy.

“I feel a stronger sense of independence being here,” said Ofenloch. Additionally, “SYA is helping me be better at time management, especially with assignments,” Ofenloch said.

Amid their growth and learning, Ofenloch and Desai said they encourage Greenhill students to consider the bene ts that the School Year Abroad program can provide.

“SYA is going to be worth it [and] I can’t think of someone who came and regretted it,” Desai said. “You’re always going to nd something good about it.”