For senior Noemi Di Bitonto, coming to America has made her feel like a T.V. star.

“All the T.V. shows we watch in Italy are made by American actors and American people, so they represent American life,”  Di Bitonto said. “Since coming here, I feel like I’m on a T.V. show because I’m doing some of the same things my favorite characters did.”

Since arriving in the United States in early August, Di Bitonto has learned more about the English language than she thought she would.

“I decided to come here to learn the language because I want to go to college here,” Di Bitonto said. “I have learned a lot more about the language. I’ve improved a lot with my English speaking.”

Italian and English are not the only languages that she knows. Spanish is a skill of she is also developing and she has even impressed Spanish teacher Astrid Ruiz.

“Having Noemi in class is so fun,” Ruiz said. “She brings a lot of diversity to the classroom. She speaks very good Spanish even though she was not even taking Spanish classes back in Italy. Italian is in the same language family as Spanish. The only time we have any trouble is actually when I’m speaking English. She asks for clarification from her friends who help her out a lot. She uses a translator sometimes.”

Di Bitonto has wasted no time getting involved in all the activities LHS has to offer. She’s currently playing on a volleyball club team and will try out for soccer in the spring. Joining the tennis team in the fall is what helped her make some of her new American friends.

“She joined the tennis team and I wanted to make sure I included her,” sophomore Jillian Axsom said. “I wanted her to have a good experience with tennis, so we became good friends through that.”

Through Di Bitonto, Axsom has learned about a lot of the cultural differences between America and Italy. Specifically, school has been a major difference in Di Bitonto’s life that she has shared with Axsom.

“From what I’ve heard, their school is much stricter than ours,” Axsom said. “If they have their phone out they get in really big trouble. They also have school for only four to five hours a day.”

Di Bitonto thinks that because of some of the differences in the Italian school system, she is closer with her classmates back home than LHS classmates are with each other.

“In our school back in Italy, the teachers change classrooms, not the students,” Di Bitonto said. “We stay in the same class with the same people all day, so we become closer with our classmates.”

Di Bitonto has enjoyed America but the arrival of the holiday season has opened the door to an abundance of new experiences. She has gained a new favorite hobby that was completely new to her.

“There are a lot of fun things to do here, such as ice skating,” Di Bitonto said. “We don’t really have ice skating where I live because it doesn’t get as cold.”

Not only has Noemi improved her language skills and learned about cultural differences, but she is most excited about how she has learned how to be more open and outgoing.

“I think that people are more close here than what I expected,” Di Bitonto said. “Everyone is friends because they’ve known each other throughout elementary school, middle school and high school. It can be difficult for new people trying to make friends. I’ve learned how to be more outgoing and talk to people more easily. Before coming here, I didn’t talk as much.”