“‘Believe in yourself’ is something that my goalie coach from back home told me three years ago, and it really stuck with me. I have it written on the top of my hockey water bottle so I can look at it during games when I need confidence. It is something I think about daily to help me get through my down moments, both on and off the ice.
“I am from Montreal, Quebec, and I started playing hockey when I was four. Shortly after I started playing, I chose to be a goalie. I decided to be a goalie because both of my older brothers, who played hockey, would always put me in the net with some goalie gear in the house for mini sticks and shoot on me for hours, so I became a natural at goalie before I even stepped on the ice, thanks to my brothers. Another reason I wanted to be a goalie was that the goalie on my brother’s team was a girl, and she inspired me to play.
“I knew about Northwood because a guy who lived in my town went here before and loved it.
“My transition to Northwood at first was hard. I was a 15-year-old who was very homesick, and I was learning English. French is my first language, and I barely spoke any English. I felt very alone because I couldn’t understand many conversations. After a while, my English got better, and thanks to two seniors at the time, Halle Mules ‘24 and Shayna Deutsch ‘24, who took me under their wings, I started to feel less homesick. Looking back, I am so happy I made it through those challenges because I love it here, it has become my second home, and the people have become family.
“Next year, I will be continuing my hockey and academic career at RIT. I am excited to attend RIT to play Division I hockey. Playing Division I has always been a dream of mine. Along with excitement, I am also scared of this next adventure. I am not scared as much of going to college, but more of having to leave Northwood and all the amazing people I have met here. I also do not know what I will be studying, but I am really interested in human biology.”
As told to Anne Monette ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
