Alumni Association
Alumni Profiles
Do you have a story or experience you’d like to share? Contact JCC’s Alumni Association and you could be featured here.
James Palmer
Men of Merit, JCC helps student find future.
With the help of JCC’s student group, the Men of Merit, James Palmer’s future plans have become clear.
Tina Wright
Tina Wright knows what it’s like to be the first in her family to go to college.
Wright, who now works with South Central Michigan Works! as an employment advisor, grew up in Jackson and attended Jackson Public Schools. She was selected for the College Incentive Program, formerly CARE, in sixth grade, which offered the promise of two free years’ tuition at JCC upon successful completion of high school. However, she never really thought about going to college until her junior year of high school when she was reminded of the scholarship opportunity.
Anthony Layton
JCC alum is selected as a McNair Scholar.
JCC alumnus Anthony Layton is looking forward to not only completing his bachelor’s degree at Siena Heights University but also continuing on to complete his master’s degree. He’s gotten some help along the way.
Brad Brelinski
Being a young attorney in the Detroit area was fun, but JCC alumnus Brad Brelinski is happy to be home in Jackson working for local law firm Curtis & Curtis P.C
Brelinski grew up on Lake LeAnn in Jerome and graduated from Hanover-Horton schools. He attended JCC after high school, studying aviation and earning his private pilot’s license. After deciding a career as a pilot wasn’t for him, he completed his general studies for transfer and decided to go into business. “JCC offered smaller class sizes. You got more attention from the professors,” Brelinski said. “It was also convenient schedule-wise, and allowed me to work while going to school and put away a little money.”
Russell Hinkle
JCC alum gains valuable experience with U-M fellowship
Russell Hinkle plans to someday be an engineer who designs and builds structures that are sound. The engineering transfer student to the University of Michigan had the firsthand opportunity to help with research thanks to a fellowship program.
Michael Tollette
Truck driving school puts Jackson man on road to new career
Michael Tollette knows only too well the difficulty that comes with being laid off from a job.
Justin Matz
Graphic design grad's entry chosen as logo by community group
JCC alumnus Justin Matz had the right design for the Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth, winning the new committee’s logo contest.
Jane Beck
Caring for people leads accounting grad to new career as nurse
It took a career change to a new field for Jane Beck to realize what she truly loved to do. Beck, who holds an accounting degree from Spring Arbor College, and has worked in the accounting field. In 2001, a job change led her to do home care for the Jackson County Department on Aging, and she found what she had been missing.
Trudy Fitton
JCC right choice for new career
When Trudy Fitton found a good-paying job in a local plant in Hillsdale after high school, she thought she didn’t need to go to college. Later, after working for two Hillsdale-area factories that ended up closing, it was time to find a new career.
Shirley Kuhl
Shirley Kuhl has fond memories of her days at Jackson Junior College. With her original aspirations to be an airline stewardess, an airline school in Chicago recommended she complete two years of college. The junior college was located right next to Jackson High, in John George Hall and the former Marsh Hall, so it was a natural next step.
Tim Booth
While Dale Jr., Jeff Burton and Mark Martin all have pit crews to keep running at Michigan International Speedway, behind the scenes Tim Booth leads a massive crew of workers in preparing for the three biggest weekends of the year.
Bridget Rothenberger
Bridget Rothenberger is living her dream. The JCC alumna spent a full year researching her prospective business, then opened the Nomad Bookhouse, located in downtown Jackson, in December of 2005.
Sandra Oleksiak
Sandra Oleksiak of Brooklyn wasn’t quite sure what to do when she learned that her job at TRW in Jackson would soon disappear because it was being transferred to Mexico.
Scott Sessions
Laid off Hillsdale worker finds new job in medical field
After working 26 years for the same plant, Scott Sessions of Hillsdale thought his job was secure. He was wrong.
