Bethany Poisson ‘24 is moving to Singapore this summer after living in Chicago for three years. Her nomadic lifestyle and experiences shaped her perspective and how she handles situations.  

Poisson has lived in many different places prior to moving to Chicago. 

“My parents are South African, so I was born there and I lived there until I was eight. Then I moved to Shanghai, China. I lived there until I was 13,” said Poisson. “After  I moved to Chicago and this summer I’m going to move to Singapore.”

Her friends were upset by hearing the news of Poisson’s sudden move because

“Bethany is literally the only reason I’m passing chemistry,” Alex Welch ‘24. “She’s like my teacher and I don’t know how I’m going to live without her in the years to come.”  

Others are finding it hard to understand Poisson’s lifestyle because they have had different experiences. 

“I’ve never moved around, I used to want to but I’ve come to the realization I’m not someone that can deal with that kind of change in places,” said Morgan Butney ‘24, a friend of Poisson. “Sometimes you don’t know where home is when you live like that.”

Although Poisson’s lifestyle may seem unconventional, she is excited to move again.

“It’s kind of something that I do a lot so I’m excited,” said Poisson. “I already know all the bits that are going to suck, like leaving people or actually having to go to a new school.”

Many of her friends will miss Poisson’s contribution to the Jones community. 

“Bethany moving is devastating news,” said Brenna Pierre ‘24. “I’ve known her for less than a year. We met through swimming and I always looked forward to seeing her during practice.”

Poisson thinks that moving has helped her develop unique points of view.

“I feel like it’s definitely brought me a perspective of life that everything has a level of impermanence, so when something bad happens I’m like, ‘It’s fine, we’ll move on,’” said Poisson.

Although moving has helped her, the outlook that she developed can also have negative effects.

“This mindset also affects good things,” said Poisson. “Whenever something good happens I’m like ‘Oh it’s going to end,’ and I think about the end.”

Moving is bittersweet, and there are many things that Poisson will miss about Chicago.

“I love Chicago, I think it’s a really cool city,” she said. “I know it’s controversial, but I think the red line is one of the greatest places on the planet.”

One thing that Poisson won’t miss about Chicago is the education system.

“Not necessarily Chicago but America. The way the school system works in a way that every single assignment impacts your grade in such a strong way,” she said. “A lot of the other school systems I’ve been in it’s not like that, so it’ll be nice to leave that behind.”

Poisson says that her lifestyle will most likely impact the way she lives the rest of her life. 

“The world feels very small,” she said. “I genuinely can’t imagine living in the same place as an adult for more than eight years.”