Christophe, from Saint Augustin de Desmaures, Quebec, Canada, was an alpine ski racer during his time at Northwood. He plans to attend the University of Ottawa.

I have been at Northwood for 4 years. I’ll remember all of the amazing experiences that my time at Northwood has offered, and a passion to always be open to trying new things. Mrs. Van Slyke helped spark my passion for painting and supported me every step of the way in all the time I spent in the art room. Next year I am going to attend Skidmore College with plans to major in Environmental Studies.

– Adapted from a senior spotlight.

My name is Gesangdanda, but people call me Gesang. I am from Tibet. I enjoy basketball and listening to music. I also like to cook.

My name is Xinglin, but people at Northwood know me as Gary. I am from Shangqiu City, China. I enjoy Basketball, Lacrosse, and Music, Robotics. After Northwood, I plan to attend Niagara University.

My name is Gabe Munter. I’m from Saratoga Springs, New York, and I’m 18. I came to Northwood so I could keep skiing, I didn’t want to go to a ski academy anymore. I liked the time that I had skiing with my friends at Northwood; it was really fun, and I will definitely miss that.

– As told to Imani Hawman ‘20

My name is Matias Valenzuela Matic. I’m from Santiago, Chile, and I’m 20 years old. I chose to come to Northwood principally for the soccer program but also for the academics. I like the friends that I made at Northwood; they are like a family for me, so I will miss them a lot. I’m grateful to Northwood for helping me grow as a person.

– As told to Imani Hawman ‘20

I am bilingual as I speak both English and Spanish. I chose Northwood because I knew the opportunities it provided both in the academic and footballing realm. The soccer program here I knew could really help me improve as a footballer, and training hard every day would help prepare me for the next level. What I love most about the school are the sense of community and the people. With it being such a small school in a remote area, you get to know everybody, and I made some really good friends throughout my year here. Some of my hobbies are freestyle juggling, maybe a little cooking, and film. My goals for the future are to win the league title at Boston University and after that play professionally. Another goal of mine is to start my own successful company. My dream is to play in the World Cup. One of my favorite experiences ever was when I was invited to train in England with two professional clubs Brentford and Sunderland. I had the opportunity to not only train with the team but watch matches at the stadiums as well. Next year I will attend Boston University and play soccer. Unfortunately, my one year at Northwood was cut short due to the pandemic, but I enjoyed it and will miss everyone!

– As told to Bernardo Simões

I like making funny noises with my friend,s and when we go skiing, I usually try to do stupid things. I’m Erik Swartz and I’m from Brookline,Massachusetts. I came to Northwood because it has a smaller learning environment, where the teachers can focus on the students more one on one. Plus it’s in a beautiful environment. My experience was very good, I made friends that I still keep in contact with even though we are in quarantine.

Northwood also opened me up to trying new things. I had never skied before and Northwood taught me how to ski pretty well. A major difference is the student to teacher ratio, because there are far fewer students at Northwood compared to my old school. Another difference is the personality of everyone because people at Northwood are a lot more friendly than people at my other school.

I did miss having great meals in Boston and sleeping in a comfortable bed. I would like to attend college and probably go into the computer science world or the financial world. I won’t forget all the great times I had skiing with friends and going out to dinner over the weekends on Main street during my time at Northwood.

– As told to Luke French ’20

I’m from Massena, NY. I decided to come to Northwood for the hockey program, which has opened up many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t come to Northwood. My experience has been amazing: the community at Northwood is something I’ve never experienced before and I’ve made some really good friends along the way. I’d say the biggest difference is definitely how close everyone is at the school. At my old school, there are a lot of people that I didn’t really know. At Northwood, everyone is so close, you really become friends with everyone. While at Northwood, I missed hanging out with my friends from home that I’ve grown up with. Next year I will actually be returning to Northwood for a PG year. I will never forget the hockey trips we’ve had and all of the good times with the boys.

– As told to Luke French ‘20

I’m from Spain, where I lived for 12 years. Then we moved to Chile, because of my dad’s work. In Chile, I played soccer for a club called One Sports, which is a program that connects Chilean players with American prep-schools and universities. I met Jon Moodey, head coach of the Northwood soccer team, and he offered me an opportunity to go and play for Northwood School. I chose Northwood because Northwood is a very good school to have good academics and also good sports. My first impression was that Northwood was a small community with a lot of people around the world. At first it was tough. New country, new friends — it was difficult. But I think that all the teachers and students receive people very well, which made me feel part of the community. Also, having many people who speak Spanish helped a lot.

My favorite memory is my first goal for Northwood. We were on a road trip to Philadelphia, and we were playing against a very good team, and won 6-1. The thing I dislike about Northwood is the food without a doubt.

I miss all the people, from my close friends, classmates, and some teachers. Although I just stayed for 7 months at Northwood, I made some good connections with a lot of people.

I’m exploring my options to study back in the States, but I’m not sure if that is going to be possible because of the coronavirus. I’m admitted to a university here in Spain, so if my other plans don’t work, I’ll study in Spain.

There are seven siblings in my family. Some people can’t believe that. Having so many brothers has it’s good and bad things. I’m the oldest, so I have an extra responsibility to guide them.

– As told to Hadley Swedlund ‘20