Mr. Reggie Collins joins the counseling center at Jesuit High School this fall as a college advisor. Previously a college admissions counselor at Lewis & Clark, Mr. Collins is excited for the opportunity to work closely with students on their college applications after being on the other side of college admissions for 5 years. 

“Really the biggest thing is being able to talk to students and tell them what schools are good options for them and things they haven’t thought about,” Mr. Collins said. “In the past when I was an admissions counselor, my job was really to allow students to come to Lewis & Clark.

Beyond helping juniors and seniors with their essays, financial aid, and other elements of college applications, Mr. Collins is excited to get involved in the Jesuit community.

“I have a lot of hobbies and interests, and I’m excited to do all of those things,” Mr. Collins said. “I want to coach football and track, since I did hurdles back in high school and played football in college.”

Full Interview Transcript: (edited lightly for length and content)

How long have you been doing college counseling?

I have actually been an admissions counselor since 2016–this is my sixth year in the college sphere. I previously worked at Saint Martin’s University, a small Catholic school in Washington, and I was at Lewis & Clark here in Portland for the last three years.

What is your role going to be this year as a college counselor?

My role is to work with students, especially seniors and juniors during their second semester, on applications, visits, athletics, financial aid, and common app essays. Those are all things I’m really excited to work on with students. 

What excites you about being a college counselor at Jesuit?

I worked summer’s before so the number one thing will be to not work in the summers. But no, really the biggest thing is being able to talk to students and tell them what schools are good options for them and things they haven’t thought about. Maybe they want to go to community college, maybe they want to go to a big state school. In the past when I was an admissions counselor, my job was really to allow students to come to Lewis & Clark—at the end of the day I wanted them to come to Lewis & Clark, so I couldn’t really tell them truly what is best for them. It’s nice to be able to sit down with students and talk about all of their options.

What is something the community should know about you?

I have a lot of hobbies and interests and I’m excited to do all those things. I’m trying to ease into Jesuit, but I want to coach football and track, since I did hurdles back in high school and played football in college. I really love things like music and superheroes. I love birds too.

Where did you go to college?

I went to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I would say the best piece of advice I have ever received is if you ever feel superior, you’re also going to feel inferior. So, if you ever feel like you’re better than someone, you have the same opportunity to feel worse than someone. I think it’s best to think of everyone as equals and think we’re all just in different places.