As Rachel Jacobs drops her daughter off at the Upper School, she doesn’t drive away. Instead, she parks her car. She swipes her badge at the front desk and heads to the Guidance Suite to start her day as Associate Director of College Guidance, a role she stepped into this past year.

Before joining CESJDS, Jacobs was the Associate Director of College Guidance at the National Cathedral School in D.C. for 10 years. She thought that switching to JDS would be a good opportunity to expand her horizons.

“I thought that personally, it would be very satisfying to work in a Jewish school and in a Jewish environment, and I also was really interested in some professional growth by working in a co-ed school,” Jacobs said. 

One aspect of her job that Jacobs values is getting to know many students on a personal level and learning about their aspirations. 

“It’s easier for me [to get to know you] than for the student because you’ve got a lot going on in your life and your meetings with your college counselor are a small part of your day,” Jacobs said. “You’re probably not thinking about it as much as I am because I’m really trying hard to get to know each individual student so that I can be more effective in my guidance and advice giving and counseling of the students.”

Jacobs’ main role is helping students find the right college for them, but helping with class registration is also a big part of her job. Jacobs is ecstatic to help with course registration at the beginning of the new semester. Not only is Jacobs enjoying her work, but her colleagues love having her in the office. 

“I’m really excited to have Ms. Jacobs here,” Head of College Counseling Sue Rexford said. “She brings not only a lot of knowledge from being on the high school side for many years, but she also has experience working at the college level, and it’s always good to have another perspective.” 

Outside of school, Jacobs is fond of yoga, spending time with her dog Ethel and watching sports. She roots for Duke basketball, the New York Yankees and, of course, every JDS team. One fun fact about Jacobs is that when she was in college, she was her school’s team mascot for football season, which was a lion, so coming to JDS made it full circle. 

Another aspect of her new job that Jacobs enjoys is making friends with her colleagues. 

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know the teachers and the other administrators … We’re busy, everyone’s busy, but we try to do that as best we can,” Jacobs said. 

Many students have already been able to get to know Jacobs, and many more will be able to.

“I really enjoy having my mom work at the school because she can get to know my friends, and we also get to spend a lot more time together,” sophomore Isabel Jacobs, Jacobs’ daughter, said.