Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 24

You never know where a friendship will take you...
For Mitchell Dehtere ’14 and Syed
Banoori ’13 it’s from Maine to
Singapore and beyond
Syed, what brought you to Thornton?
Syed: I was born in a small town, in the
KPK province of Pakistan. Very early
on in my life my family moved to the
biggest city in the province. I went to a
private school and was taught English
side by side with my native tongue. My
father was in the Merchant Navy and
would transport oil around the world.
During my summer breaks, our family
would join my father on his trips.
This allowed me to travel more than
20 countries and made my childhood
summers quite exciting. One day we
would be in Italy and then within a
few weeks we would be passing the
Suez Canal in Egypt. This gave me a
different perspective on the world so
early on in life. I believed the world
was indeed a small place and that we
were all more or less the same people.
When I was in 8 th grade our family
moved to Singapore as my father got
a job in Singapore’s booming shipping
industry. I studied there for a couple
of years, and I realized that I wanted to
explore the world more and gain new
perspectives. I wanted to experience
boarding school life. One of my close
friends at my high school attended
Thornton Academy and he had only
good things to say about it. That
prompted my move from Singapore to
a small city in Maine.
How did you meet Mitchell?
Syed: I met Mitch during one of his
visits to the dorms. Both of us had
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a serious nag for fútbol (or soccer
as Mitch says). We talked about our
favorite clubs and players, and we
joked about how different yet similar
we were in o ur view of the game.
Mitch was very friendly and he invited
me to his house. In our culture it is
a considered a great respect when
someone invites you to their personal
space, their home. I was extremely
pleased to meet his family who were
equally polite and welcoming.
How did your friendship develop over
the years?
Mitchell: About twice a week after
school my friends and I would go
over to the dorms. They had various
activities such as Xbox, ping pong,
and basketball. Ping pong was our
go-to and I was much better than
Syed, for the record (sorry bud). The
real connection was formed during
Thanksgiving and Christmas break.
Syed is a very mature and lovable kid
and was accepted by my parents right
away. He always had a second home
beyond the dorms and we always
enjoyed having him.
Syed: We had very many enjoyable
weekends together. They mostly
comprised of playing FIFA, watching
Netflix, and eating lots of homemade
food. I would never miss an
opportunity to eat Shepard’s Pie made
by Mitch's mom, Lynn. I have told
everyone in Pakistan and Singapore
about her Shepard’s Pie! Mitch’s
family would also take us into the Old
How did two students from opposite ends of the globe become best friends and
embark on a journey that literally took them around the world? The answer is
simple: they attended Thornton Academy.
Mitchell travels
the world in style.
Syed in the Big Apple.
Mitch (left) and Syed reunited in
Boston in 2016.
Port and throughout Portland to try
different foods. We enjoyed playing
in an indoor soccer league. We would
play against each other every now and
then. He was a defender and I was
a striker, and we were on opposing
teams. My team, “Foreign Swag” was
comprised of all International students
and his team “Saco Strikers” were all
homegrown talents.
What were some of the things you
learned about each other’s culture that
left an impression?
Mitchell: The first thing I learned about
Syed was that Pakistanis love their
names as he had several parts to his:
Syed Muhammad Rizwan Banoori.
He also made me aware of how to
respect his religion's views about pork.
Family and friends are everything in
the Muslim culture, which is why I
consider him one of my friends I can
always count on no matter how much
distance gets between us in our future.
I know I’ll always have his love and
support.
Syed: Mitch and his family have left
a great impression on my family and
me. Our parents have communicated
and even exchanged gifts. They always
tell everyone about the time when
we had the chance to host him. My
grandmother said Mitch was her
favorite among all of my friends. She
liked how he was so polite and soft-
spoken all the time. I understand
American culture more by spending
time with Mitch. My experience has
shown me that in America people
have great values, principles, and
morals. This is something that does
not get enough coverage in the media,
as compared to the pop culture or
daily news. People here, especially in
New England, are very accepting and
inviting.
How did Syed’s friendship impact your
life?
Mitchell: Syed taught me that there
is a whole other world out there past
Maine and beyond the U.S. I now feel
like a global citizen with dreams and
goals that I most likely wouldn’t have
without him. I love foreign cultures
and I love foreign people. The recent
decade has cause a lot of stigma with
Muslims and the Middle East, but
Syed is a living example of why those
stigmas are wrong. Meeting his other
Pakistani friends and how his family
welcomed me in Singapore showed me
the true culture of these people. I have
never met more amazing and loving
people who have treated me as family
just because I am friends with Syed.
I traveled to over 12 countries across
four continents this past fall and that
door might not have been opened had
I not become friends with Syed.
What are you doing now and what are
your plans for the future?
Syed: I am majoring in Computer
Science, minoring in Economics and
concentrating on Computational
Science at Clark University in
Worcester, Massachusetts. The field
that I am in is booming and changing
very quickly.
at Sea this past fall. I traveled to many
countries and it has broadened my
horizons immensely. I am currently
a junior at Bentley University as
a Finance major with a minor in
Computer Information Systems.
My ultimate goal is to be on the
investment side of finance until my
40s-50s and then switch careers to
become a high school finance teacher
and coach soccer. Working with
children through Bentley’s Service
Learning program has taught me that
I really enjoy being a role model for
the younger generation and I want to
help and motivate youth like my past
teachers and professors have. Thornton
Academy played a big part in this final
teaching/coaching dream job. I would
like to give a special shout-out to Mr.
and Mrs. Sharland, Ms. Lasante, Mr.
Marston, and Coach Carlson for being
the role models and mentors that have
taught and impacted me the most as
I go forward in life. I never take for
granted the relationships and laughs
we all shared together.
Mitchell: I just completed a Semester
BY LINDA VERVILLE | PHOTOS COURTESY OF MITCH DEHTERE & SYED BANOORI
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