It is safe to say everyone at Northwood is itching for November 16^th, the beginning of Thanksgiving break. While many North American students are going home to see family, there are numerous international students who are not going home. I spoke to students who can see family and those who are staying with a friend or teammate.

Some of Northwoods’ international students are spending the break with one of their teammates. This is the case for Anthony “Tony” Wan ‘26, who is spending the break with teammate Sam Knauf ‘24. Wan, a U17 soccer winger who hails from China, is not returning home until the school year’s end. His plan for this Thanksgiving break is to stay with “Magic” Sam. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

Many Northwood skiers will not have a chance to see family either, as they are in Austria. I spoke with Marcos Alvarez ‘26, in his case, he will have a chance to see his family, as they are coming to see him in Austria. “For me, I am super excited to be skiing in Austria with the team, my family is coming to see me as well, so I am super excited.”

Other students, such as superstar attacker Said El-Eyssami ‘26, are going to vacation spots to spend their time. Said has earned his vacation, scoring twenty goals so far for Northwood’s U17 and U19 teams. The U19 starter explained to me that he was going to Miami. “I’m going to Miami with my family, and I am taking Camilo and Elm with me. We’re going to stay at an apartment, we rented it for the week. And, yeah, excited to get back to the heat, to the tropical climate and enjoy; enjoy the beach, and the warm city.”

American students able to go home over the break, are excited for Thanksgiving. I spoke to Anna Monnette ‘26. “I can’t wait for the break. I’m going home to Malone, New York. I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends and family. And I’m going hunting with my brother. Thanksgiving is big thing at my house, we celebrate by all our family coming over, we have a big meal, then we play cards and watch National Lampoons Christmas vacation.”

I’m a senior at Northwood, and I’m on my way to being a four-year survivor! I live in New Jersey, and I am currently in the Northwood Outing Club and the Ski and Snowboard Club. I used to row for the crew team up until my junior year.

When I’m not at school, I like to go out with my friends to New York City and look for new places to eat and food to try. I love to read, watch movies, and crochet; I am also a big runner. Since it gets so cold in the Adirondacks, I don’t get to run as much as when I am home when it is warmer.

I found Northwood through a school search website in middle school. My family wanted me to be at boarding school, and since I grew up in the city, they wanted me to go somewhere I could be around nature and experience the outdoors, so Northwood was perfect.

Throughout my four years, my most memorable experience has been learning how to ski. In my sophomore year, my friends and I decided to join the Northwood Ski and Snowboard Club. We had no expectations going into it, but I found out that I really enjoyed skiing.

Northwood has taught me a lot, but the most important thing I have learned is how to appreciate nature and the outdoors. It has taught me that there are bigger things in life than just the trivial things that don’t matter in the end because the world is so big, and we are so tiny.

I am most looking forward to cherishing the time I have left before graduation. I can’t wait to have more experiences with my friends and be done with the college process. As much as I am excited to graduate, I am going to miss the memories I have made during my time here. After graduation, I plan to work at a summer camp with my friend, Jazlyn Lluberes ’23, and travel to different countries. On top of that, I will prepare for college and see where the next four years of my life take me!

As told to Avery Novia ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

I grew up in Gqeberha, South Africa, but in 2018, my family moved to Lake Placid. I live with my parents, and I have an older sister in college. We moved to Lake Placid because we had been visiting during the winter for my sister’s hockey and my figure skating, and we decided that Northwood would be a good place for both of us.

I’m very passionate about activities that express my emotions like dancing, figure skating, and music. When I express myself through dance, I feel free and happy, and overall, it’s a lot of fun for me. I’m also passionate about hard work. I will work hard and try my best for something that I want. There are a lot of things you can’t control in life, but effort is definitely something you can control.

Something I’d like people to know about me is that I am friendly, and I like talking to people. I really like hearing people’s life stories because it shows who they are as people, and why they are the way they are.

As told to Jordan Shullenberger ’24. Photo by Jordan Shullenberger ’24.

I’m a senior here at Northwood. I’m from the North Shore of Montreal. I have an older brother and a younger sister whom I’m very close with. I came to Northwood because I wanted to go to prep school for hockey, and I found out about Northwood from some friends who went here and some people who were affiliated with the school.

I’m very passionate about hockey, and I’ve been playing since I was 4 years old. It’s a life-long passion and I’ve dedicated my life to it. I want to play in college and maybe pro. I’m also very passionate about personal development. I’m very interested in health, nutrition, mindset stuff (meditation and spirituality), and overall personal development. My life-long goal is to achieve my maximum potential as a human.

Something that I want people to know about me is that I might come off as rude, but that’s not me at all. Sometimes my resting face or the way I respond to questions can make me seem a little bit intense, but that’s just me being focused or thinking about something. I’m very friendly, and I like talking to new people. I don’t take myself too seriously and I like having a laugh and enjoying myself.

As told to Jordan Shullenberger ’24. Photo: Jordan Shullenberger ’24.

My name is Sophia Miller, I was born and raised in Sun Valley, Idaho. For 7 years of my life, I was a ski racer. I practiced 6 days a week for 3 hours a day. I enjoyed the sport, but it eventually got to a point of such high competitiveness that I didn’t have fun with it anymore. After I stopped racing, I decided that I was just going to focus on playing soccer, which I played for 3 years.

After only attending schools in Idaho, I came to Northwood so that I could better my academics and experience a different kind of learning than what I was used to. Although they are such different places, I enjoy the similarities that Idaho and Lake Placid share. I enjoy the accessibility to the mountains, and how close they are. Growing up, the mountain I skied at was only 5 minutes away. I also enjoy the aspect of teams and team bonding. Everybody at Northwood is very close with their teams, and at my school in Idaho, it was the same way.

I am most looking forward to hearing back from the schools I have applied to, and figuring out what my plan is going to be for the next four years. I’m excited to start skiing on Whiteface this winter with the Northwood Ski and Snowboard Club, and I am looking forward to getting back outside again.

As told to Avery Novia ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.