Winding down on his LVC career, Jaylen Reichner '22 has built an impressive list of academic accolades along with lifelong friendships and memories with his teammates and fellow student-athletes. Reichner, a basketball co-captain and actuarial science major, entered his senior season with a full-time job confirmed. 

"In one of my high school classes, we had to research three jobs that seemed interesting to us. One of the jobs was an actuary. It was a new job but seemed promising with a lot of growth potential. Also, it seemed to use a lot of the skills that I had and enjoyed," said Reichner, whose parents are both math teachers.

Enter onto the scene a friend of Reichner's who told him about LVC's Actuarial Science Program.

"My parents and I looked into it and thought it looked like a great school. I also knew that I would like to play basketball, so I reached out to Coach McAlester. I came on a visit, and Coach showed me around campus and set up a meeting with Dr. [Patrick] Brewer to talk about the Actuarial Science Program. After the visit, I felt it was a perfect fit," said the 6-foot, 3-inch guard from Millville, Pa.

Reichner, like many college students, cites the transition from high school to college as the biggest hurdle to balancing his academic and athletic responsibilities. 

"Going from high school where you are in school for seven hours a day and have an hour or two at most of outside work was a huge change because in college you are putting in basically the opposite—three hours in class and four or five hours out of class. 

"Living by yourself with a lot of new freedom makes it even more challenging. The best tip I would give is to use calendars and planners to write down all your assignments, projects, and exams. That helps me get a head start so I am not cramming right before the due date," said Reichner.

Reichner spent this past summer in a paid internship at the Oliver Wyman actuarial consulting firm in Philadelphia. A few months after his great experience, they offered him a full-time job after graduation. And Reichner has already passed four actuarial science exams and was inducted into the Pi Mu Epsilon math honor society. 
 
"The curriculum is focused on the exams and actual work we will be doing, so there isn't a lot of unnecessary fluff to just fill classes. I have loved all the professors in the Math Department. They are always willing to help out with anything and really want to see their students succeed," he said.

Reichner shares that his best memories are just hanging out with his teammates and supporting the other Flying Dutchmen squads when it comes to his time as a student-athlete.
 
"We are a tight-knit group and excellent friends," said Reichner, who is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "We do a lot together outside of basketball, and it has been cool to develop relationships with so many great guys. I think all the athletes support each other well and love to see the other teams succeed."
 
Reichner's additional academic accolades include multiple appearances on LVC's Dean's List and the Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll, along with recognition on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court last year.