“I came to Northwood in 2021 during the COVID-19 Pandemic when I was unsure of when I could return to in-person school. I had just done over a year and a half of fully remote learning from a house in the mountains, with minimal in-person contact with the outside world. At the time, boarding school seemed like the only way I could have normal interactions with peers and re-join society in a sense. I also had a relative here- David Garvey. He was a senior on the Head’s Council and my RA on Third East the year I came, and he helped me a lot with adjusting to life away from home.
“My experience here has been incredible- everything I could have asked for and then some. During the Pandemic, I left New York City and lost touch with almost everyone I knew when I lived there. The Northwood community has been like family to me throughout all four years. Over those four years, Northwood has also allowed me to find purpose. I started doing play-by-play broadcasting for the Prep team during my freshman year. Over the course of my four years here, I’ve watched as my work gradually became more of an expectation rather than a pleasant surprise- and found a productive role within this community. In addition, the school’s location in the Adirondacks has introduced me to things like rock climbing and backcountry skiing, both of which I would’ve never done if I was still in New York. Finally, Northwood has given me the opportunity to travel the world. Through the LEAP program, I’ve rock-climbed in Nevada, gone backcountry skiing in Utah, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and traveled to Vietnam, Iceland, and Japan. These have truly been the best 4 years of my life.
“My favorite memory of Northwood is probably the community we built on Second East last year. In my four years here, that’s probably the closest a dorm hall has ever been, and every night, I would get back from quiet hours looking forward to throwing a football or hockey game on or catching up with everyone in the lounge. In particular, I miss Ritter and Jack Kent getting into it with each other every night and drawing everyone else in.
“Honestly, I’m still trying to figure it out in terms of my future. The first order of business is figuring out where I’m going to college- I hear back from Middlebury soon for my ED2 application. If that doesn’t work, it’s a tossup between several other schools I hope to receive admission letters from. After that, I’m still undecided. I’ve thought about pursuing a career on Wall Street similar to my dad or leaning into my play-by-play gig and pursuing that. My guess is I’ll pursue a bit of both for as long as I can before I’m forced to pick a lane, but I’m keeping my options open.
“I’m not sure what I’d do without this place. I’ve called Northwood home for 4 years now, and there are so many unique and meaningful things I’ve done here that I lose count. I love the people and community here, the options available to me here, and the lasting memories I’ve gained from going here. At this point, I only care about enjoying these last few months and trying to do as much as possible before it’s all over. I’m gonna miss this place… This is home for me.”
As told to Pete Moore ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.