Adam Hutton

Adam Hutton had wanted to pursue an education and a career in journalism/media communications since he was a teenager.
 
“In high school I spent a lot of time doing research for the debate team,” he recalls. “I read countless articles on various subjects in newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. I realized that the journalists who wrote those stories must be just like me: curious about the world, willing to ask questions and share the answers. I was attracted to reporting because I liked the idea of learning for a living.”
 
Having spent most of his childhood living in Johnson County and having earned some college credits at JCCC while still in high school, Hutton said it seemed like a natural transition to continue his education there.
“I especially appreciated the affordable tuition,” he says. “Earning my associate's degree while working part time and living at home with my parents made it possible for me to lay the foundation for the rest of my schooling without having to borrow money to stay afloat.”
 
“I would rate my professors and classes as top notch; the value of the education I got at JCCC has exceeded the cost many times over,” says Hutton, who now is a producer at CBSNews.com in New York City. “I use what I learned at JCCC every day on our Web site. Writing headlines, photo and video captions, editing copy, making decisions about story placement...these are things you learn in Journalism 101, which I took as Basic Reporting with Greg Harrell 10 years ago.”

Jessica Lovell

Jessica Lovell thought she wanted to work behind the camera.

“I was working in production at KSHB-41 in Kansas City, hoping to get some type of experience in television so I could eventually work behind the camera on a film level,” she recalls. “While I was there, I developed a relationship with folks in the newsroom. They suggested that I get into news and get an internship there. That's what led me to JCCC. Although a news junkie, I never saw myself reporting the news.”

But that’s precisely what she is doing now.
 
“Now I’m an anchor at KTNV in Las Vegas, but not before a few other stints in places like Topeka, Joplin and St. Joseph,” she says. “Before JCCC, I had no experience in public speaking, not even a class. So what I learned at JCCC is what I entered the field with. I chose JCCC because I needed an internship that was close to home and JCCC was willing to work with me even though I had no prerequisites in broadcast journalism.
 
“I came to Mark Raduziner with an internship opportunity and he helped make it possible to take the journalism classes I needed to qualify. I was not a typical student. I was in my mid-20s and knew this was what I wanted to do and that these were not just elective classes for me. The facilities were great and allowed me to complete the work I needed and give me experience to get in the business.”

Jonathan Dillon

He may be out in Hollywood now, but initially Jonathan Dillon was looking to stay close to home as he pursued his education.

“I attended JCCC because of the close proximity to my family and friends,” he says. “I had attended Shawnee Mission South High School and wanted to be near home. JCCC was perfect for that.”

“The faculty was great, not only in helping with my studies but also supporting me in starting a film festival and making short films. I not only received an education, but also made some good friends.”

While a student at JCCC, Jonathan established the Cavalier Film Festival, the school’s first film festival competition focused on storytelling among young filmmakers.

Jonathan went on to study film at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. He was recognized by Project Greenlight’s “refreshing filmmakers” competition as one of the top 10 young filmmakers in the U.S.

“I am a director, producer and editor for TV, feature films and commercials. The education I received at JCCC helps me day-to-day in problem solving and throughout my overall work,” he says.

Ryan Westward

The only air that Ryan Westward originally had in mind for his career was aerospace.
 
“Getting into radio was, actually, an accident – I was planning on going into aerospace engineering and took a couple of broadcasting courses as electives,” he says. “During those courses I met and started hanging out with a couple broadcasters here in Kansas City and was talked into an internship by one of them at KQRC 98.9 The Rock. He said it’d be a fun little escape from studying over the summer. I could go to some concerts, get a few CDs and then go back to the books in the fall. Once I started the internship I fell in love with the business and the station and decided to stay and make a career out of it. That was 16 years ago and while getting here was an accident, it’s been one heck of a ride and I’m absolutely glad it happened!”

Ryan says he chose JCCC primarily because of the desirable class size.
 
“I had heard that the big universities try to weed students out in the first couple of years,” he says. “I didn’t want to risk it and went to JCCC since the class sizes were much smaller and I thought it would be helpful. Not only that but I took some college prep classes in high school, so I already had three classes completed through JCCC before I even started college. 

“I had a great experience at JCCC,” he says. “I thought the courses were educational, interesting and a lot of times fun. The faculty was knowledgeable and best of all friendly and helpful. You could tell they were passionate and were themselves interested in what they were teaching. JCCC started me on the path I’m on. The courses, professors and internships put me in a position to get where I am now.”

And where he is now is at KQRC, where he says he does not have a traditional job title.

“Most people around the office refer to me as the ‘Go-To Guy.’ I handle a lot of different duties. I’m on-air for 98.9 The Rock, doing weekends/overnights and I fill in whenever someone is sick or on vacation plus I handle a lot of the remote engineering for several stations within the cluster. I’m also the remote coordinator for all the stations here at Entercom/Kansas City. So, basically, when any of the stations want to do a remote broadcast, they send the request to me and I assign an engineer/frequency for them to use. It all keeps me pretty busy and every day can have a different schedule, so from week to week I don’t work the same schedule but that’s part of what makes it fun. I enjoy it a lot.”

Jason Nivens

Jason Nivens always dreamed of landing a job that didn’t feel like a job.

“As a kid I always enjoyed radio and I loved hearing the radio personalities talk about the music and circus that subsequently follows it,” he says. “I knew it was something I had to get into because it would never feel like work or a job.”
 
As for why he landed at JCCC?

“Honestly, I chose JCCC because I wasn’t sure where else to go. I had average grades, was living at home, and knew that as long as I went to school I could live rent-free there. But I wasn’t exactly a ‘model’ student in my first semester,” he recalls. “In fact I was what you’d call a jerk. Professor Raduziner, however, was very patient with me and in my second semester something clicked, that this man could and would help me attain my goal of getting into radio. He opened the door for me and for that I am truly grateful. I still consider him one of the most important professors – if not the most important – I’ve ever had in college.”
 
Jason says he got his wish, now deejaying nights at KQRC 98.9 – The Rock.

“What I use in my work, from what I learned at JCCC, would be to have a ‘no fear’ approach to my job. When Professor Raduziner first informed me of an internship at 98.9, he told me I was the only student being considered for such an opportunity. He told me who and when to call. Well, at first, I didn't make the call. I was afraid, possibly of failure, maybe of success. Mark kept me after class one day and encouraged me to not be afraid, but rather to give it a shot. More or less a ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ philosophy.”

Jana Corrie

Jana Corrie says Johnson County Community College helped her find her career path. Today, she co-anchors FirstNews Weekend and reports for FirstNews during the week at KMBC-TV Channel 9 in Kansas City.

“It has been a dream of mine to work for the television station I grew up watching,” Jana says. “JCCC helped start me on the path to where I am today.”

Jana arrived at JCCC in fall 1997, looking to make an impact as a member of the Cavaliers volleyball program. She played two seasons, helping JCCC win back-to-back conference titles.

She also went on to play her junior year at Lincoln Memorial University and her senior year as a walk-on at the University of Missouri. But it was her experiences in broadcasting classes and her internship at a local television station while at JCCC that helped her decide her future profession.

“I thought I wanted to be a writer or a reporter, but I didn’t decide on television news until I was at JCCC,” Jana says. “JCCC gave me direction and my career path.”

That path took her to Columbia, Mo., where she earned her degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri. Following her senior year, Jana worked for one year at KOMU, an NBC affiliate, as the station’s morning anchor. She was then hired by KGUN, an ABC affiliate in Tucson, Ariz., as a reporter and anchor.

She moved closer to her dream job, moving to Topeka, Kan., where she served as the evening anchor for the 6 and 10 o’clock news for KTKA-TV. In December 2007, Jana, who grew up in Olathe, returned to her hometown as a reporter for KMBC-TV. Shortly after her arrival, she was promoted to her current position.

Jana has been recognized for her work in broadcast journalism. She has received awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association for in-depth reporting, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters for feature reporting and the Arizona Associated Press for her coverage of breaking news.