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From Small Town to Big Bucks Via JCCC

May 1, 2019

Jaime Coffey’s time at JCCC was the perfect launching pad to attain an MBA and build her successful career in finance.

“The connections I made at JCCC have been helpful throughout my life. Having that network is an awesome way to build your career and make friends for life.”

Growing up in a town of 1,800, Jaime Coffey wasn’t quite ready to make the leap after high school to a four-year university. The Wellsville, Kansas, native decided to follow the same route her older brother took: attend Johnson County Community College for two years before moving on to the University of Kansas (KU).

It was the perfect move for her.

“My experience at JCCC made the transition to KU so much easier,” Coffey said. “I loved my time at JCCC. Going there was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”

Hometown feel

“I talk to a lot of small-business people who are blown away by JCCC’s campus, technology, cultural offerings and programs, but most of all, its graduates.”

Coffey appreciated the friendly atmosphere and how counselors and professors really cared about students. They also were a big help in making sure she took the right classes that would transfer to KU. Coffey earned a bachelor’s degree and went on to earn an MBA from Rockhurst University while working full time.

“I started in banking as a teller and worked my way up from there,” Coffey said. Now as Commercial Relationship Manager for Arvest Bank, Coffey works with multimillion-dollar commercial customers to set up financing for lines of credit or real estate purchases.

Connections are key

Coffey credits much of her career success and community involvement to the connections she made at JCCC. She volunteers and provides leadership for several nonprofits in the metropolitan area, including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Olathe Health Foundation. She also cherishes the lifelong friendships she made at JCCC and is still friends with girls she met on her first day of school almost 25 years ago.

As she interacts with people in the community who hold JCCC and its graduates in the same high esteem, Coffey knows she received an educational bargain that has benefited her throughout life—and possibly her future. “I have a seven-year-old daughter,” she says. “She’ll probably go to JCCC, too!”