Carlos Hevia, now a sophomore at South, left his home of Oviedo, Spain and traveled over 4,000 miles to experience a new life in Plainfield, Illinois.

Spain, according to Hevia, is a lot different from America.

For the foreign-born student, the transition between the two different cultures took some getting used to. For instance, school starts much later in Spain, a loss Hevia notices everyday as he wakes up at 5:00 a.m. now to attend Plainfield South.

“In Spain, people spend a lot of time outside of their homes and go out with their friends almost every day, unlike here where we usually just go to each other’s houses,” Hevia said. Now, he spends his time hanging out with his friends, reading, or watching Netflix.

“I do miss it,” Hevia said, “but the opportunities that living in the U.S. gives me are something I wouldn’t trade for moving back.”

Hevia was born and raised in Spain and lived there until he was 11 years old. He moved to Plainfield before 6^th grade and is now is going on his 4^th year in the United States.

But Hevia having an interesting background isn’t the only thing that sets him apart from others here, also he is a model student. Currently, Hevia resides at number one in the class ranking, taking only honors and AP courses.

“Carlos tends to stand out due to his background as a student in the US while also having experience living outside of this culture,” said Bob Miller, the AP American History teacher. “This experience gives Carlos the opportunity to question history more deeply and from a different perspective than a regular American history student.”

Alongside his perfect 5.7 GPA, Hevia also participates in the speech team, scholastic bowl, and math team.

“He motivates me to work my hardest just to be able to get a better grade on a test for once, which never happens,” said another friend, sophomore Annie Larea.

Chemistry and math are his favorite subjects, no doubt helping his goal to be an engineer (either chemical or aerospace).

“My top college choices would be MIT, Northwestern, or Stanford, but realistically I would say any college that gives me a good scholarship,” Hevia said.

Even through his hours of dedication to his school work, Hevia manages to find time for his social life.

“Carlos is always there to help and lend support,” said Lauren Srenawski, also a sophomore at South.

Hevia says that when he hangs out with his friends, they usually watch movies, go for walks, or just talk while listening to music.

“Plainfield South is a great school and I’ve made many good friends during my time here,” Hevia said.