taking courses that fed his creativity and sparked his curiosity. Then it was during
his six years as an undergraduate that Mahay’s innate sense of adventure led him
The Creatives
around the world. Utilizing his minor in Japanese, he spent two and a half months
in Japan teaching English to Japanese students while there. He was fortunate to live
with a Korean family, so he received the benefits of both cultures.
By Olivia Connelly
Though at first glance, Mahay may seem a little flighty and unpredictable: he
has moved fifteen times since college, worked in a neurological rehabilitation facility
where he interacted with patients suffering from mental and psychological trauma,
Judah Mahay:
Modern Day Renaissance Man
Judah Mahay is a paradox of sorts. Though he has a penchant for liberal views
and beliefs, for example he is a practicing vegetarian and transitioning to vegan, he
attends the local Republican Committee meeting because of his devotion to support-
ing the local economy and small business. Though he graduated with an under-
graduate degree in business, he is an artist at heart and continually whets his skills
as a writer. Though born in a small Alaskan town, he has seen more of the world
and experienced more cultural diversity than most living in an urban area. These
attributes are what define Judah Mahay, yet it is a challenge to find the words to truly
describe him.
Mahay was born in the town of Talkeetna, Alaska.
The town boasts a population of eight hundred permanent
and acted as a pirate on a working historic ship in Chicago
for a summer, after speaking with him, it is evident he is
determined, dedicated, and logical. Though Mahay left col-
lege, he continues to be a student. His belief is “in order to
make a career as an artist, you need to treat your art as your
career.” Mahay found ways to incorporate both, his business
savvy and his creativity, while working to achieve his goals of
obtaining his MFA in Creative Writing, publishing his work,
and writing several novels. Mahay is continually honing his
residents and is about one and a half hours from any populated area. His parents,
originally from upstate New York, moved to Alaska in 1973 and spent their first five
years as Alaskans living solely off the land. After moving into Talkeetna and starting
a family, they began the Mahay River Boat Service. This company explores and
navigates unclassified waters. Simply stated, the Mahay’s are adventurers. Mahay’s
father holds two world records for his navigation of Devil’s Canyon and Talkeetna
Canyon. From the age of twenty, Mahay has been US Coast Guard licensed to oper-
ate the boats that navigate the river. He fully admits that his job as a jet boat captain
was dangerous and even life-threatening at times. But it was the experiences he had
during his childhood and adolescence that helped to shape his view on living life to
the fullest.
While in undergraduate school, Mahay continued to travel and experience the
world and other cultures. Mahay originally attended school in Boston but trans-
ferred and finished his undergraduate degree at Calvin College in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. Though a business major, Mahay could not allow the plethora of interest-
ing and unusual course offered at Calvin go to waste. He spent his interim semesters
2
Northshoerian JuneJuly 2009.indd30 30 6/16/2009 1:19:35 PM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52