Tendo Zikusoka ’28. Photo by Mr. John Spear.

Tendo Zikusoka ’28 is a student who recently joined Northwood School. He is a freshman here and on the soccer team. His brother, Ndhego, came for the second half of last year, and was a senior. Ndhego and Tendo’s father came to Northwood in 1991 and graduated in 1993, and at last year’s commencement, he awarded Ndhego his diploma.

Tendo felt that this year was his time to come to Northwood. With two members of his family attending Northwood, it was natural he would eventually join them. He’s been at Northwood for a few weeks now and said that he enjoys the soccer program at Northwood more than back home. “The program here is more detailed; the coaches focus more on the player’s development. The training amount is about the same, though,” Zikusoka said.

Tendo is from Busoga, Uganda, which is in Jinja, Uganda. He said the weather back home is very dry. There is some rain where he lives, but he is used to mostly hot, dry weather. He is still adjusting to the climate of Lake Placid, where the norm is freezing temperatures and lots of snow. Back home, Tendo likes to go to the national park for fun.

So far, at Northwood, Tendo has been settling in well. He likes his roommate, Jonathan Fischer ‘27, and is still acclimating to his new classes. He likes all his classes so far.

Tendo is a great addition to the Northwood community and to the soccer program at Northwood. He will fit into the culture at Northwood well.

“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.

“Be interested, not interesting. It’s what my father told me for the entirety of my life. Those were his words of wisdom before any situation, important or not. I think about this often. When going into a conversation or any opportunity I reflect on what I could take out of it rather than my input. My father has been extremely influential in structuring who I want to become. Along with my father, my elder brother has played an equally significant role. He has been someone I can look up to in the ups and downs of life.

“Coming to Northwood was an experience like many others when it comes to leaving home and starting at a new school. I left home at 12 to pursue hockey after playing on boys’ teams for most of my youth.  Before attending Northwood, I went to OHA and played in Kingston, Ontario growing up.

“Next year, I will play at Canton University to continue my hockey journey into college. This process has made me think about my family’s role in this journey and how much I appreciate them. My mom’s tenacity to take me to camps in the summer and her continual support when it comes to my in-season training have been tremendous. None of this would have been possible without the support and belief of my old coach, John Hoskins, who has given me the necessary tools and approaches to grow my game, and me as a person. He grew my love for hockey and gave me the confidence to try out for the AAA boy’s hockey team by making it as a girl sparked my motivation to move away from home and pursue the sport.

“As someone who has now spent 5 years away from home, I am accustomed to the normality of this way of life, and in that, Northwood has taught me some unbelievably valuable lessons. A lesson that I reflect on in every aspect of life is my coach saying, “The last five are our best five.” Take this and implement it into everyday life, no matter what you are doing, and do it with all your ability. To finish strong because you never want to leave a situation knowing you could have given more effort. Because regret is worse.”

As told to Eliza Quackenbush. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“My hidden talent is martial arts. I originally started karate with my father when I was 8. I went from doing kickboxing to Shorin-Ryu, which is a form of art that’s not necessarily about fighting but mostly about technique. To put it simply, It’s like a kung-fu variant. So, I did that up until 16, when I focused solely on football.

“Does pineapple belong on pizza? Absolutely not. I’m not saying it isn’t good, but I would and do keep fruit off pizza. So yeah, no pineapple on pizza.

“Most of you have probably seen it, but I have a big tattoo on my arm. So, there are four Roman numerals depicting the years 1971, 1975, 2006, and 2011. Each of these is for the birth year of my parents, myself, and my sister. Ever since I got this first one, I have kept thinking about the next one so there’s one in the works.

“A piece of advice I’d give to a student-athlete is to be grateful where you’re at. I’ve had a lot of troubles in the past couple of years with different things. Maybe you’re not playing as much as you’d like, but you have to be honest and look at the situation and say, ‘Hey, I’m still here; let’s take matters into my own hands and work.’ So yeah, take the initiative, do what your gut feelings say, and be appreciative.

“I have to credit my dad; he’s been the biggest factor in my success. He’s helped me overcome many challenges, and I definitely wouldn’t be here without him.

“I’d say the biggest area of growth for me since leaving home to go to school in the US is my mental strength. I’ve faced lots of challenges, and those obstacles have helped me grow. So yeah, all the ups and downs have gotten me to a point where I’m well-equipped to face any situation.”

As told to Gavin Kruger ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“I’ve always been so fascinated with outer space and planets and stars since I was young. I also love architecture because of all the places I’ve visited. I love the places where classical architecture captures the beauty of the time period. I really want to bring beauty back into buildings.

“I’m from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, about an hour’s train ride from the city. I wanted to come to Northwood mainly to be able to pursue skiing more without the constraints of a typical public school curriculum. I wanted to be able to ski every day in the winter while balancing schoolwork with it. It was my dream to get into a school that values sports and the outdoors as much as Northwood as well, which compelled me to come.

“In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends and listening to music. I’m super into photography, even though I don’t have a professional camera. Anything I see on a walk that I take every day could look slightly different and I’d want to take a picture and capture the beauty of it. I’m constantly trying to get the perfect picture on trips I go on to capture the experience’s true feeling. I have 44 thousand pictures on my phone, obviously not all of nature and places I’ve been to, but most are, and I think that’s pretty crazy.
“As for sports, I would love to keep skiing and horseback riding in college. If I could practice more and maybe get on an actual team later in college, that would be amazing because I know some schools have good pipelines from the club to the actual team. Overall, though, I’d like to just pursue these sports casually and enjoy them as much as I can, and maybe I could look into other things with that, like rock climbing and hiking.”

As told to Jesse Schoch ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“I have a dog named after a Russian hockey player, Ovie, because it’s my older brother Nick’s favorite hockey player.

“My favorite part of Northwood so far has been creating friendships with my teammates that I know will last forever. A specific moment of my Northwood career I will always cherish would be winning the semifinals of PHC playoffs against Saint Andrew’s in overtime last year.

“A piece of advice I would give to a Northwood student is to embrace the time you have here, no matter how long it is. Don’t take any of it for granted, and enjoy the little things about life at Northwood, like meals, classes, and practices. A big passion of mine is hockey, but I’m also passionate about school and keeping my grades up. I strive to make my parents proud in the classroom.

“My favorite class at Northwood is Advanced STEM Research with Mrs. Walker because I get to research something I’m passionate about, and I get to do it with one of my best friends, Will Schneid ‘25. Our topic is related to hockey performance, which relates to me and my sport.

“After Northwood, I plan to keep playing competitive hockey and continue to chase my dream of playing college hockey. I will miss my friends on the hockey team, the culture and vibe of the school, road trips and hotel stays, having meals with my teammates at the same table every day, and practicing and playing with my teammates every day, when I leave Northwood. I will also miss Coach Mallaro because he has given me so much and I appreciate everything he’s given to me and taught me.”

As told to Sydney Kuder. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“I first found out about Northwood when one of the older kids in my hockey organization went there. I actually started looking into it during my sophomore year when my coaches wanted us to look at prep schools. While doing my research on schools with good hockey and education that are not too far from home, Northwood came up.

“I think this first semester of my second year has been great. Although there are a lot of new people this year, the community is great and very close-knit. I think something memorable has been walking into town with my friends, whether it be big groups or just a few people.

“My favorite memory over my first year and a half at Northwood has to be the long bus rides with the team. While it can be boring at times, I think it is a great opportunity for bonding with the whole team.

“Right now, I am not sure what I want to do after I graduate from Northwood. I am applying to a few colleges, but I am also looking into junior hockey. Either way, I plan on playing hockey at some level next year.

“One thing I would change is for the cafeteria to offer more fresh fruit options around meals.  I think it would be better for the school and our health.”

As told to Pete Moore ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.