Niles West boasts a community full of all kinds of people. There are self-or-otherwise-proclaimed jocks, geeks, athletes, musicians, and many more. Despite their many differences, one factor unites all these student groups: the hyper-focus on their futures and what they can do to better their future selves’ well-being. Few give a second thought to what they can do for the betterment of future society. Even fewer consider how they can better the lives of those around them and only one is senior Jerome Reginold, also known as Mr. Splash.

Reginold was not always J.R. Splash. In fifth grade, he picked up a basketball for the first time, and the rest is history. He fell in love with the game and even played a year for our very own Niles West High School.

“Jerome’s a  great guy,” former teammate and senior Emil Comor said. “I’ve known him since my freshman year when we played together on the basketball team. On and off the court, Jerome is a smart, funny, and overall fun guy to be around.”

Though his talents were much-appreciated assets to the team, Reginold ended his career as a Niles West basketball player after his freshman year playing as an A-team starter. Mr. Splash realized he had to make waves somewhere else.

It began in the summer of 2018 when he visited the country of Haiti for the first time. The number of impoverished people and demolished lives was almost too much for his soul to bear, and now, he knows he must put an end to it.

“I am in pursuit of a career in biomedical engineering for the sole purpose of helping those around me,” Reginold said. “I want to help people who are disabled or in need of any sort of professional assistance by designing and building resources to influence both their health and happiness. There are people in this world missing arms and legs. There are people in this world without properly functioning organs. The field of biomedical sciences is working vigorously to change that, and I want nothing more than to be a part of that fight.”

Reginold’s parents instilled in him a principle of universal kindness at quite a young age. With his introduction into the Catholic church when he was just a child, a strong sense of morality and empathy for his neighbors’ well-being were both imprinted on his brain, and they have driven his actions to become quite a reckoning force of positivity and love here at West.

“[Reginold] has been super nice, welcoming, and just a really friendly guy since the day I first met him,” senior Madison Koniarski said.

After making his very significant mark on our humble high school, Reginold is now four months away from being a possible Northwestern or UIC attendee, but his ambitions go much further than that. Reginold does not only want to graduate from a good college with a good degree. He does not only desire to be a part of the fight to end suffering in this world, he wants to lead it. Reginold dreams of one day becoming the CEO of a major corporation.

Reginold has enjoyed his experience here at West, but now is very ready to move on to bigger and better things. He dreams of a world where people can be more selective on what they study and the classes they take in high school, but now, he no longer has to endure this system.

“Students here should not be required to take classes like public speaking if they aren’t majoring in or going into a career that requires skill in it,” Reginold said. “High school fails to set us up for college and the real world; we are not set on a track to pursue one clear goal, but rather, learn as many trivial pieces of information we can before the mediocrity is practically oozing out of us.”

So, Niles West, when someone comes up to you in the hallway and asks: “just WHO is J.R. Splash?” I have provided you here a simple, yet very accurate answer. Mr. Splash is a team player. He is a creator. He is an innovator. He is an empath. He is a magnet for the people around him. He is a leader. And he is more than ready to make the biggest splash of all in the ocean of suffering this world has become.