American Highschool Dual Degree Program

Context

After leaving America, I stopped actively developing my English beyond what I was learning in school, which was well below my level, since my classmates were still learning the language. What I needed was to go deeper: to use English in a more academic and structured way.

In 2025, I decided on my own to take that step and work toward having equally leveled education in both languages. In June 2026, I completed my first year of an American international program with a 4.0 in all of my courses.

This program is an add-on to the Spanish education system; you take it alongside your regular ESO or Bachillerato classes. Throughout the year, you receive around ten assignments per week in different formats, essays, presentations, reading responses, quizzes, plus a mandatory hour-long meeting every other week covering a different educational topic. It's a consistent workload that requires you to stay on top of everything while keeping up with your normal school.

By completing the program, I earned a dual diploma: an American high school diploma alongside my Spanish credentials.

What I learned

The Dual Diploma program gave me a solid foundation in academic English, from reading comprehension and writing to critical thinking and analysis. I also learned practical life skills like time management, goal-setting, and personal responsibility, tools that are useful in any context, whether in school, work, or daily life. The coursework pushed me to work in a different language and academic style, which strengthened my ability to adapt and communicate across cultures.

At the same time, simply managing the program alongside my regular Spanish schoolwork was a learning experience on its own. Balancing two separate curricula meant staying organized, meeting overlapping deadlines, and switching between different systems and expectations every day. After long days at school, sitting down to complete my American coursework when I was already tired and just wanted to be done was genuinely difficult. That process taught me discipline, independence, and how to handle a heavy workload without losing focus. Earning a separate American diploma while keeping up with my normal classes was challenging, but it built habits and a work ethic that I still carry with me.