Alumni Profiles
Tina Wright-Matz
Tina Wright-Matz knows what it’s like to be the first in her family to graduate from college.
Wright-Matz, 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.
“I was the first generation in my family to graduate from college,” Wright-Matz said. “I’m very glad I made the choice to go to JCC, because I think if I would have gone directly to a four-year college, I wouldn’t have made it. I didn’t come from a very wealthy background, and I didn’t have many interactions in my community with business people or things like that, those were all things I had to learn how to do.”
With an interest in working with people, she considered both education and social work. She met mentor Mary Belknap, who then taught at Jackson High when she was a student there and later taught at JCC when Wright-Matz was attending, who helped her sort out which field she wanted to pursue. Because she wanted to work with adults as well as children, she chose social work, and completed her Associate in Arts with the MACRAO (Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) transfer agreement, then continued her studies at Central Michigan University, earning her bachelor’s degree in social work. The MACRAO is an agreement between two-year and four-year colleges to ensure that basic general education requirements are met.
“Whenever I get a chance, I tell people about MACRAO. Everything I had transferred, and I felt well-prepared at Central,” Wright-Matz said.
Today, she is continuing her education and has finished work on her master’s degree in organizational management at Spring Arbor University, and will participate in commencement in November 2009. She is no longer the only one in her family to go to college, as her brother is also pursuing his master’s degree. In the community, Wright is the co-founder of QUESTIONS, a group for young professionals of Jackson, is part of the marketing committee for Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth (JCEG), and is active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
In her current position as an employment advisor at South Central Michigan Works!, she has many opportunities to share and to encourage others to pursue a college education, which she says is always exciting. “I have so many words of encouragement for others thinking about college. Don’t hold back; sometimes it may be scary, but it offers so many opportunities,” Wright-Matz said.
Tina was recently recognized as Jackson Publishing’s “30 Under 30.”
Congratulations Tina!
