Senior Marin Frasca has returned to LS. If you check the school records, you’ll see she was not enrolled junior year. Instead, she was off studying abroad in Seville, Spain. “I’ve always loved Spanish. I really wanted to be fluent.” She was introduced to the Council on International Educational Exchange, a program promoting excursions such as Marin’s. After much debate, (and a particularly difficult math test), she decided to take the plunge. 

She was placed in the suburbs to avoid English being spoken in the city. In terms of school, she was shocked by how common it was to repeat grades, as well as how personal relationships were with professors. “Being in that school made me appreciate LS so much more,” Marin divulged. 

Her time in Spain lasted nine months, the first few being particularly difficult due to homesickness and missing family. Half-way through, she had gotten into the groove of things. “I had a lot of fun, learned a lot.” Upon her return to Sudbury, “a lot had changed, but nothing had changed. I had changed so much.” She thinks the decision to participate in a study abroad year in high school depends on the person. “It’s a big thing. It’s very hard and scary sometimes. It’s also very rewarding.”

Marin’s biggest takeaway has been to go with your gut. “That’s the reason I went to Spain. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I think that’s something you should always follow.”