Maria Bujan-Puente

Junior Maria Bujan-Puente’s love for volleyball transferred from Spain to Indiana the minute she arrived.
She remembers contacting Coach Hoffman for information regarding the volleyball team at SHS.
She has been playing volleyball for seven years and practices every week day in the FIeldhouse.
“I’m comfortable with my team here … ,” Bujan-Puente said. “Coaches are very interested in giving their best, and I love the team spirit.”
She is originally from the northern part of Santander, Spain, which is only 10 minutes away from the beach.
The new schedule has been exhausting, as school starts much earlier at SHS than it does back in her home country.
“School starts almost two hours earlier and I have practice every single day, which I love but it’s tiring,” Bujan-Puente said.
Little things from the appearance of houses, to how people socialize are very different, even social media.

Danielle Grehn, Maria’s host mom, has been hosting students for two years now. She talked to Maria months before she actually came here.
“For Maria, I talked to her for months before she came and we already had a bond,” Grehn said. “And when coming here, we instantly clicked and felt like meeting an online friend for the first time in real life.”
She is excited about football games and dances at SHS. Bujan-Puente would love to see how her English will progress.
“I would like to finish my experience knowing that I tried as many new things as possible and not regretting anything,” Bujan-Puente said.