Calais School alum Nathaniel Bargad fondly looks back at his five years attending the Calais School and recalls how they inspired him to work hard, better deal with social situations and succeed in life.

Nathaniel, who attended the Calais School from 2009-2013, said he learned how to better manage difficult social situations and respond to difficult people in a calm manner.

His years at Calais also helped him manage homework and all his studies and prepare him for college and a successful career as an accountant. “The Calais School helped me work my way back to public school and manage a bigger workload,” he said. “I eventually faced an even larger workload in college and was able to handle it.”

Nathaniel attended and graduated from Bergen Community College and The College of New Jersey where he received degrees in Accountancy. “Upon graduation, I worked at a mid-sized accounting firm in New York City called PKF O’Connor Davies,” he said. “I also studied for the CPA Exam and recently passed all four exams. I’m waiting for my license.”

Nathaniel recently moved to Israel and is excited to find a new accounting position there. “I’m confident that having a CPA will ease the job search process.”

We leave you with some of Nathaniel’s inspirational words, “If you set your mind to anything no matter how hard something is, you can achieve whatever you desire. You have to stay committed.”

If you would like to share your own Calais story, please contact Ashley Soleau at ashley.soleau@thecalaisschool.org or Allison Freeman at allison.freeman@thecalaisschool.org.

This story was originally published on the Calais Foundation website.

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