Page 24 - NJC Magazine_Fall_2018

Alumni Profiles
Checking in with the Class of 2014
We thought we would check in with NJC’s Class of 2014 to learn what they’ve been up to since graduation in Neuchâtel, and to find out what adventures they are pursuing next!
Charlie’s favourite part of day-to-day Swiss life was exploring areas in Neuchâtel and wandering through some of the local trails and hills with friends. He also enjoyed the food in Switzerland and living in Cortaillod with Mme Kohler, who would joke that she cooked Italian recipes with French ingredients in German sized portions!
He says that NJC helped him develop a strong ability to self-reflect, which has helped him make his own path by learning what he truly loves to do and what he wants to achieve in his life.
In the future, Charlie would like to continue working in the outdoor adventure tourism industry and also, become an ACMG ski guide - an arduous process that he is currently undertaking alongside his other professional and educational endeavours.
CARYS BAKER
CHARLIE CORNISH
JERRY LI
Carys Baker ’14 is specializing in Political Science at the University of Toronto.
She says that her most treasured memory from her time at NJC was the simple, quiet time spent with friends. She also loved having dinner and practicing her French with her pension, Mme Schlittler and M. Shirvani, and
EDEN GOODMAN
the freshly baked tresse au beurre that her pension Madame made every Sunday morning.
The culture of punctuality in Switzerland meant that Carys was always on time - an aspect of Swiss day-to-day life that she loved and misses today, along with waking up the spectacular lake and mountain views, taking the bus every day with familiar faces and attending classes taught by those who she describes as the smartest, funniest and most interesting teachers.
NJC was completely unfamiliar territory for Carys and she is grateful today for the experience that forced her to figure out who she wanted to be and what path she wanted to take. She says that there is no place like NJC.
Carys has been working in the Minister of Energy’s office for the Ontario Government for the past three years and worked on campaigns leading up to the election of June 2018. Carys is excited to further explore the political realm.
and exploring new things.
Eden Goodman ’14 completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of St. Andrews
in the UK. Her decision to attend university in Scotland was largely due to the international experience she gained during her year at NJC, which made her comfortable with stepping outside her comfort zone
For Eden, the best parts of day-to-day life in Switzerland were the cheese, the chocolate and seeing 72 of the greatest people she knows every single day at school. She lived with the Cossentino family in Colombier and says that she will never forget how much fun she had exploring the village castle with her three housemates, and also, her Madame’s incredible lasagne!
Eden began her Masters degree in Social Work this June.
After graduating from NJC, Charlie Cornish ’14 travelled to the Indian Himalaya on a mountaineering expedition with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and then moved to Hokkaido, Japan, where he worked for Black Diamond Lodge & Tours and Hokkaido Backcountry Club.
Jerry Li ’14 graduated a double major in Government and Economics, with a sequence in Gender and Sexuality Studies from Claremont McKenna College in California.
Jerry credits NJC for equipping him with a sense of adventure, and says that one of his favourite things about day-to-day Swiss life was the reliable transportation system, which allowed
He is a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and the Association of Canadian Mountain
Guides (ACMG). While completing an Adventure Guide diploma, with a focus on backcountry ski guiding and mountaineering, at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Charlie is working at Revelstoke Mountain Resort as part of the ski patrol team.
As an avid skier, Charlie’s most treasured memory from his time at NJC was skiing around Grindelwald - a classic Swiss village whose authenticity and beautiful peaks blew him away.
him to be spontaneous and adventurous.
Since his time at NJC, Jerry has served as a Political and Economic Intern at the Consulate General of the United States of America in Toronto, as well as a Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Services Intern at the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle. His passion for Model United Nations remains strong after participating in BERMUN in Berlin, Nevsky MUN in St. Petersburg
22 Neuchâtel Junior College Magazine