Charlie Schilling '18 Spending Senior Year in Spain
Program allows Greenie to graduate on time
Christ School seniors will recognize a familiar face in their graduation procession. Even if it has been a while.
Charlie Schilling '18 left for Spain in early-September and won't be stateside again on a permanent basis until May 18. As part of the School Year Abroad program, Charlie will be eligible to graduate after spending his final year of high school overseas. And he fully intends to walk across Yard A on May 20 to receive his diploma.
"What's crazy is I was only at Christ School for a year," Charlie said. "It was one of the most formative, defining years of my life. It really set me up well for everything that I'm experiencing now."
School Year Abroad places American high school juniors and seniors in one of four independently-operated schools in either China, Italy, France, or Spain for a full academic year. There is hardly a typical day for Charlie in Zaragoza, a city with a population of more than 700,000. Charlie lives with a host family that has four sons of its own. All six of his classes are in Spanish.
"I didn't come to Spain with fantastic Spanish," Charlie said. "I could speak it, but the ability to hold conversations is something I've really picked up. The biggest difference is probably being able to communicate feelings and emotions. That's a subtle thing you have back home that you don't have here."
Charlie, who is from Asheville, had been to Spain twice before. But he only explored the School Year Abroad option after suffering a third concussion that ended his lacrosse career. Like his classmates back home at Christ School, Charlie is deep in the midst of the college application process.
"It has been interesting applying to schools from abroad," he said. "The opportunity to come here and travel independently has been super big. I've really gotten to experience the culture and see a lot of different things."
