With the departure of Dean of Multicultural Affairs Mr. Martinez, Northwood’s Multicultural Student Club (MSC) has recently come under the direction of Mr. Jose Coss. The club recently held its first meeting of the year, where semester and year-long goals were outlined for the 25-26 school year.
Mr. Jose Coss, faculty advisor of the Multicultural Students Club. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.
“I think the important thing that we want people to know is that we are making important changes, structurally and on our objectives,” Mr. Coss said, inspiring many members as he laid out his vision for the club. “We want to set reachable objectives that can impact not only the Northwood community, but also the broader Lake Placid community. We’re trying to not only to promote diversity within the school, but also highlight the diversity that lives in this town—that’s our focus,” Coss added.
Tziyon Morris ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
MSC also assembled its first Board of Directors, shaking up the club’s previous government structure: Tziyon Morris ‘26, Sasha Luhur ‘27, and Dominica Sarandeva ‘26 were appointed to lead MSC on its upcoming journey. “I’m excited to have a bigger role that can actually impact Northwood,” Morris said. Among the ideas suggested in the first meeting, Tziyon says he’s “most excited for a potential St. Agnes School trip.”
Dominica Sarandeva ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
A significant aspect of the club’s goals is to integrate different cultures into Northwood life. “We’re hoping to have some events that bring awareness to some cultures that people aren’t really knowledgeable about,” Sarandeva said. “I’m Bulgarian, and not many people know anything about our culture. It would be cool to celebrate things like our food, so I’m excited for all the things we’re planning to do with the club,” she added.
Sasha Luhur ’27. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
Club members are also excited about the year’s plans. “Lunar New Year is my favorite Chinese holiday, and I’ve never been able to go home and celebrate. I know there are a lot of international students who feel the same way about their holidays, so it would be great if we could do something for those holidays at school,” Jingxi Zhao ’26 said. “We could also make the foods from those celebrations, like I wish we could make dumplings for everyone to try and learn about food from different countries,” Zhao added.
MSC’s future is full of motivation and fun ideas for the year, and we hope to keep that momentum going. “I’m really glad that we’re putting renewed energy into the club this year, and I’m honored to direct it,” Luhur said. “It’s so important for MSC to have a voice because otherwise, we never really have a platform to let the rest of the school know about our backgrounds and how they shape us. Not many people at school know that I was born and raised in Indiana, but I grew up surrounded by Chinese and Indonesian culture from my parents. It’s a huge part of my identity, and I hope that everyone in the club can share their full identities too. Leading the club this year, it’s our job to facilitate events to give our members a louder voice, and I’m really excited to get started for the year,” Luhur added.
