Moorestown Friends School bids farewell to Director of College Counseling Keith Vassall after four years. Vassall will take on the job of Director of Student Support Services at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Director of College Counseling at Moorestown Friends School works with students as early as freshman year, but the process doesn’t fully take off until junior year. Roma Jha ’22, a student that Vassall is working with, says her first meeting with Vassall was “really great because he’s super personal, and although he has half the grade, he always seems present and ready to help you out with anything you need.”
According to Vassall, there are a “lot of external influences that could direct students and their choices” during the college admissions process. “A lot of times students hear a lot of things about certain colleges, and sometimes we have to demystify a misnomer that they might have heard,” he added.
Although Vassall admits that there are many difficulties when selecting the right college, he said that “the students that we’ve worked with over the four years that I’ve been here have had a place or places to go where they were hopefully happy, and they found a place where they could grow as students as well as people.” He believes that every student has their own story and he’s “happy to be a part of helping them uncover their ultimate story through the college process.”
Aside from being a college counselor, Vassall is an Upper School advisor to juniors and seniors. His advisee Janiah McRae ’22 said that her favorite part about Vassall is his bubbliness, friendliness, and ability to interact with everyone.
Sara Chesnick ’22 said Vassall’s positivity is her favorite thing about him. “It’s almost like the first time you speak to him, he’s already your friend,” shared Chesnick.
Vassall has made a lot of valuable memories at MFS. Without hesitation, Vassall said that Spirit Week holds the top spot for his favorite memory at Moorestown Friends. “I think spirit week really gives me an opportunity to see the students really just having fun being themselves, but also how they interact with each other and how they come together as a school.” said Vassall. He loves the spirit and creativity that the students show, and refers to the behind-the-scenes of it all as “something really magical.”
Vassall has always been known for his ability to “give great advice,” said Aani Desai ’22. Vassall suggested that there is one great way to prepare for the college process, and it is “really getting the most out of their MFS experience, whether that be athletically, academically, artistically… really seize the moments they have at MFS.”
Vassall said that his new job in Missouri will be an adventure. This job will be the fifth independent school that he’s worked at in his career. He says that “each school has been different, but they’ve always offered something that’s allowed me to grow as a professional.” As the Director of Student Support Services he will be able to focus on “supporting [the students] at an earlier stage in their high school career,” while still helping them through the college process.
Vassall continuously expressed his passion for the Quaker aspect of Moorestown Friends. He says that Quaker education is what drew him to MFS and that he will miss Meeting for Worship the most when he starts at his new, non-Quaker school: “I don’t think there’s gonna be a school where you’re going to have time to kinda sit in silence and reflect. Meeting for Worship has always been something I’ve enjoyed.”
When asked to leave one final thought with the MFS community, Vassall urged students, faculty, and parents “to take advantage of what this school has to offer in every aspect.” He advises the community to “continue to maximize” what a Quaker education means for them.
