17-year-old graduates from UCCS before earning high school diploma
By Tom Hutton | CU Colorado Springs
Jacob Reichard, 17, graduated with a Bachelor of Innovation in Computer Security from the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science.
“My advice is to others is ‘be unreasonable’,” the precocious teen said when describing his college experience that began when he was 13. “Do something normal people aren’t going to do, take that step and into the unexpected and see what you come up with.”
Reichard is the first to graduate from the UCCS College of Engineering while still in high school. In 2013, a student concurrently enrolled in high school and the UCCS College of Letters, Arts and Sciences graduated.
For Reichard and his mother, Hidye Fletcher, being unreasonable meant finding ways around hurdles that ranged from finances, admission processes, and group projects not designed for someone still in his teens.
“My first class met from 4:30 to 7:30 at night and most of the people were 20 or 30 years older than I was,” Reichard said. “When we were assigned groups, they all thought we should meet at bar to discuss it. I had to be the one to say, ‘um, how about Starbucks?”’
Reichard tried to have a normal college experience. He believes UCCS faculty members held him to the same – or higher – standards than other students. He worked as a research assistant in a faculty member’s laboratory, adopted another faculty member as his mentor and tried his best not to miss class. When he did miss, his excuse was far different than those usually delivered to faculty.
“Because I was still in high school, I had to miss three classes because they conflicted with mandatory state testing days,” Reichard said. “I’m pretty sure I was the only one with that excuse.”
His dedicated paid off. He will graduate with honors, indicating he achieved a grade point average in excess of 3.7 on a 4 scale.
Even when his family’s Black Forest home was evacuated, Reichard showed up for class. His entire family stayed in a campus apartment as part of the university’s community support plans during both the 2012 Waldo Canyon and 2013 Black Forest fires.
Like many his age, Reichard hopes to find a summer job. But instead of dipping ice cream or lifeguarding, he hopes to land an internship with a company and apply his skills in computer security. In August, he plans to move to California – his first time away from home – to pursue another college degree, this time in theology. Eventually, he hopes to earn a law degree and work in the computer security field.
“In one of my favorite classes, we had to do a video of us performing karaoke-style,” Reichard said. “I performed my own version of ‘I Won’t Back Down’ by Tom Petty. It came at a very challenging time so this seemed like a symbolic way to accept the challenge and press on.”