This month’s mentor spotlight is Reggie Woods! Reggie graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in math and education. Today, Reggie is finishing his master’s degree in counseling at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Reggie is paired with UB Central Bridge student, Brandon Love, and they have been a wonderful pair. Please take some time to read all about Reggie!
Reggie was born in Germany but moved to various places while growing up. He has lived in Philadelphia, Kansas and a few places in Florida, but moved to Minnesota to attend St. Olaf College. At St. Olaf, Reggie eventually decided to major in math and education. In college, Reggie played football and ran track for St. Olaf and served on the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Board of Leaders. Reggie also spent a few summers as a classroom and residential staff member for Upward Bound.
I asked Reggie how he decided to commit to St. Olaf College, an out of state school, and Reggie responded, “I chose St. Olaf because they allowed me to play both of the sports I was involved in during high school (football and track). Plus, they provided me enough financial aid to cover most of the costs to attend. The other colleges I applied to would have made me choose only one sport to play in college and they could not provide the same amount of financial aid. Additionally, St. Olaf took the time to speak with my mom and voice the benefits of why I should attend their college. I was super nervous because I didn’t know what to expect and I never had the opportunity to see the campus. I had no family in Minnesota, which added another layer of anxiety, but the coaches that I met ensured that they would help me adjust by setting me up with a few mentors and encouraging me to join TRIO SSS.”
After Reggie graduated from St. Olaf, he found himself working for TRIO Educational Talent Search at Century College. Reggie is finishing up his master’s degree in counseling and is looking forward to graduating this year. He is hoping to eventually be an elementary school counselor and potentially moving somewhere warmer! When I asked Reggie why he wanted to mentor for UB, he had this to say, “I wanted to help students like myself, because I didn’t have any type of mentors who helped me with the college process.” Reggie had some advice to share with students as well, “Learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to go after the things you want. Nothing can truly hold you back unless you let them and remember obstacles are meant to be overcome.”
Outside of work, Reggie loves all types of sports and likes to try new things and go on trips to different cities. One interesting fact that Reggie would like to share is that deep down, he is a Vikings fan! Upward Bound would like to thank Reggie for being an amazing and committed mentor!
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