Written by Paul Fraumeni  

A couple years ago, CJ Barry, parachute on his back, jumped out of a Cessna airplane over Grand Bend, Ontario.

CJ was doing this as part of his membership in the parachute club at Robert Land Academy (RLA), a military-themed school on the Niagara Peninsula. This was not a daredevil kind of thing: he got involved with the club because CJ has a passion for trying new things.

And he takes his activities seriously. For the parachute jump, he had prepared thoroughly. Students who wanted to make the jump had to complete an essay about the First Canadian Parachute Battalion in World War II and how that resonated with them on a personal level and pass a tough physical fitness routine.

When he left the plane, he was at a height three times that of the CN Tower. He was so high that the cars he could see on the ground looked like ants. It took him five minutes to float to the ground.

Did he like it? He doesn’t hesitate in his response.

“I loved it. It was like floating on a marshmallow of air.”

That’s CJ’s life—many highs that have come from his remarkable commitment to hard work and some lows that were hard to deal with. He’s 19 now. He has autism and generalized anxiety, blinking eye tics, and ADHD. During high school, CJ entered a dark, agonizing period when he was diagnosed with having bipolar disorder.

CJ is quite an achiever. His marks at RLA are full of 90s and 80s. He’s won a bevy of academic prizes. He plays piano. He’s seriously skilled in sports, including cross country running, track and field, scuba diving, karate, and boxing. He’s proficient in French and is studying Spanish and loves photography and tai chi.

“I have a great interest in being active because, along with my schoolwork, it allows me to pursue the talents that I’m most interested in. The opportunities are endless and doing extra-curricular activities enables you to achieve the greatest possible version of yourself.”

For the past three summers, he’s worked as a leader-in-training at Camp Dreamwood—an overnight camp in Haliburton with programs for children of all ages and abilities. And he’s been recognized for how he gives back to the community—after amassing 500 hours in volunteer work, in 2023 he received the Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Volunteerism and Community Service.

CJ has a special passion for digital technology and will put that into place at Wilfrid Laurier University as a major in computer science and geography.

“I’m fascinated by computers and computer technology because of the great technological innovations that come along with them. Computer science adds so much backbone to various subjects, like artificial intelligence, engineering, physics, calculus, game design and psychology and so much more. I want to be successful at whatever my career is and computers are, in part, crucial to so much of what we do.”

He still isn’t quite sure about what he’d like to do in his career. His passion for computer science and AI might be the path—but he’s also considering following in his dad, Calvin’s, footsteps and becoming a lawyer, maybe as a defence attorney or in civil law. Or he wonders if he could combine his interest in computers with something like cyber law.

Whatever future he pursues, CJ credits his parents for their support and helping him get to the point of going to university: his dad and his mom, Paula Stamp. “She’s the touchstone of our family and my life.” And he sends a shout-out to Toronto Psychological Services for helping him through his bipolar diagnosis.

“I don’t think of my challenges as a disability. I’m going forward and using my gifts. So focus on your strengths. Keep on going. You never know where life will take you.”

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