Today at University High School's commencement ceremony, Jon Reider spoke to the Class of 2018 for the last time...
Every weekday since 2000, UHS's Director of College Counseling Jon Reider has awakened at 5:30 a.m., conducted his morning routine, and set off for University High School from his home in Redwood City. Most trips to and from school have included a student or two who live to the south, from Woodside to the Mission District. As of this morning, his car's odometer reads 321,000 miles—a unit of measure he monitors closely.
Jon is an expert in the college admissions field. He is a coauthor of the highly regarded book, Admission Matters. Jon is also frequently interviewed by the media on the topic of college admissions. Since day one, Jon's spirit for helping UHS students has never faltered. Following the graduation of the Class of 2018, Jon will embark on his retirement. His enthusiasm and love for his work will certainly be missed.
Jon has always had a close connection to UHS. As a child, he lived on Clay Street, a few blocks from our distinguished Julia Morgan building. Jon went on to become an instructor of humanities, and then, a senior admissions officer at Stanford University. At Stanford, Jon was known for coining the phrase "intellectual vitality" in 1992, which has greatly changed the landscape in college admissions to expand beyond the numbers and focus more on intellectual qualities. While working at Stanford Admissions, Jon would give an annual talk on writing college essays to UHS students. So, it was only natural that he would find his way to us. In preparing for her retirement from UHS, Jon's predecessor, Christiane Neuville (1927-2012), recommended that Jon take the post, with his vast array of knowledge and expertise in admissions. Without hesitation, he accepted and ended up spending eighteen years in this position.
From the addition of "South" to the UHS campus to a shift in college counseling trends, Jon has seen a lot of change at UHS since his arrival. Over the years, he has watched with appreciation, the increased number of our students coming from different middle schools and more diverse backgrounds, which have allowed for an even more academically engaging environment. In college counseling, there was a tremendous emphasis on the Ivy League and Stanford when he arrived. Currently, students attend a diverse array of colleges, and in an average year, UHS students will apply to more than 150 different schools.
During retirement, Jon is looking forward to sleeping in, traveling at non-peak times (unbound by the academic calendar), and is interested in writing a murder mystery about an elite private high school in San Francisco. He told me that being a college counselor is somewhat like being a detective. After thirty-three years in the profession, Jon has numerous stories he wants to tell. In addition, he has a long list of books that he has been waiting to read.
Innovative, dedicated, and passionate are just a few adjectives to describe Jon Reider. Jon wants to be remembered as the person who always told the truth as he saw it, through the lens of his experience. While Jon is notable for his frankness, he is a caring individual who wants the college application experience to be a good one. When asked to give one piece of advice to students applying to college, Jon says, "Be open-minded. The actual goal of the college admissions process is the process itself. Show balance, curiosity, a sense of openness, and ultimately, a sense of humor about yourself."
-Cameron Ehsan '20