When you enter the Counseling Center you’ll see Kathleen Reid typing away at her computer, sipping on her coffee out of a PSU mug, the door to her office open. When you get closer she’ll look up, smile, and invite you in. On the table in the center of the room is a pile of college brochures and a bowl of crystals. The walls are decorated with her framed degrees, posters beaming with positivity, and information about schools. You’ll sit down next to her, in a comfy chair and feel like she cares.
Reid is an important piece of Benson, she is the college counselor, AVID coordinator, and is also a counselor for students with last names So – Z. This is Reid’s 11th year in school counseling, and she has been at Benson for six of those.
Reid’s love for counseling stems from her own children, “I have three kids, and they’re all really different. One’s super high achieving, one’s kind of middle of the road, he would do whatever it took to just get to the next step without overworking himself, and the other one really struggled in school.” She explains, “I kind of found myself advocating for all three of them in different ways, and it just kind of opened my eyes to how there’s many different types of students and they all need advocating for, wherever they’re at.”
Reid is passionate about her students and helping them succeed. Her favorite type of students to work with are “students who are ready to take action, and, you know, get some stuff done.” She says, “There’s a lot of steps to the college process, […] so maybe students who are willing to follow some steps and get things done ahead of time.” She has a specific soft spot for students who are committed to their education, even if it may be difficult. “Another student that I really like to help is students whose parents didn’t go to college who maybe don’t have some background or knowledge about the process themselves, because it’s a complicated process.”
Her advice for high school students entering the college application process is to “start your CommonApp or your personal statement essay early.” She recommends students get ahead in order to stay prepared.
Outside of work, Reid is a crossword enthusiast. “I’m a big crossword person, so I like to do the crossword puzzle, particularly the Sunday crossword,” she says. “In the winter [the New York Times] have the big mega puzzle, I love that. I spend my winter break doing that.” Along with crossword puzzles, Reid spends her spare time outdoors, moving her body. She loves to hike and do yoga.
As a Lincoln High School graduate, Reid grew up in Portland. She was an active part of her school community. “I did sports. I was on Portland Junior Crew, a rowing team, I was on varsity soccer, and I did the golf team as well. I was involved in some clubs like Links Club; we did volunteer work and things like that.”
Thinking back to her high school years, Reid shares the differences between the college culture now versus when she was a student. “I’m so much older so it was really different,” she says, “We didn’t have the internet, I was filing through brochures in a file cabinet, it was really different, but it was a strong college-going culture.” Now, she encourages and advises Benson students with their own college applications.
