ADVENTURE ABROAD

One Student’s Semester in Spain

Photos by Asher Lefkoff ’24

Asher Lefkoff ’24 spent the fall semester studying abroad in Zaragoza, Spain, through School Year Abroad Spain. In addition to honing his Spanish skills, the Boulder, Col., native learned to adapt to city life. The fourth largest city in Spain, Zaragoza has few tourists and fewer English language speakers. Fortunately for Lefkoff, his passion for travel and exploration helped him feel right at home.

Below are some of Lefkoff’s observations, excerpted from an article in “News Decoder,” a global educational news service for young people:

“How I love the Sunday lunches and late dinners. Families spend Sundays going to mass and cooking lunch. The recipes have been passed down through generations, never once written down. The meals make me part of a family. Moving from a small town next to mountains to the heart of a city is an exciting and terrifying experience. It presents the opportunity for constant adventure.”

“It’s the mix of serenity and commotion that I love about Zaragoza. The laughter on a Saturday night street, an ambulance on a Thursday afternoon, muffled piano practice late one evening—all remind me that I am not alone. Never again will I explore the back streets, hoping to get lost, or stay out late laughing with newly made Spanish friends. It reminds me to ‘seize the day,’ because I will never again be 17 running around a Spanish city I love so much.”

Academic Achievement

Congratulations to Courtney Dann ‘23, who has advanced to Finalist standing in the 68th annual 2023 National Merit ® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Out of approximately 1.5 million students who entered the nationwide competition, about 15,000 made it to the Finalist standing. From March through mid-June, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation selects 7,250 Finalists to receive Merit Scholarship ® awards.