Life as Alex Goodman

Alex Goodman, 20, sits next to me wearing cuffed pants and rattan woven sneakers. A junior at Eugene Lang, Alex is a natural conversationalist who juxtaposes his life before and after transferring to The New School. Prior to making the switch, he attended Bennington College in Vermont, a very small liberal arts college that “doesn’t really have majors, it has ‘plans’,” Alex says.

He describes it as being a complete culture shock in comparison to his hometown in California, the Pacific Palisades. Alex grew up with the kind of parents that most kids dream of. Both of his parents are labeled as “lenient”, despite the stereotype that goes along with being Republicans. “One time my friends and I were smoking on a side street near my house, and a neighbor who drove by saw us, so he went and knocked on my door,” Alex says. “My Dad didn’t care, as long as we were safe. He just wanted to get back to sleep.”

They strongly supported the public school system, especially charter schools, which Alex attended from 10^th to the end of high school. These few years were the only ones that Alex and his twin brother Matt were separated. Apart from sharing the same birthday, Alex and his twin brother happen to be exact opposites. They are interested in completely different things; Matt likes sports and goes to University of Oregon, while Alex has absolutely no knowledge of sports and prefers expressing himself through more creative outlets.

“Being visual is where I invest myself”, Goodman says in response to what he wants to do later in life. While Alex blogs about advertisement, he sees a future career in any venture that is collaborative and creative. He would enjoy possibly running a clothing company someday, or running a commercial photography agency. He expressed to me that he wants to be doing something that mixes equal parts innovation and business. “Anything having to do with the production of a product; design, furniture, architecture, writing, just not music.” Alex says.

Alex enjoys living in New York, and can foresee himself living there after college, but considers its only downfall the weather, not surprising coming form a native Californian. Alex enjoyed growing up in California, but is now happy after transferring the Eugene Lang, and currently resides in the West Village.