Dr. Susie Sympson, a former psychology student at JCCC, defines hope. Her thick-volumed PhD dissertation examines the construct of hope, and she has developed a scale to measure it, a scale that has been used in more than 100 studies in many countries. But Sympson's understanding of hope is more than academic. Her life attests to it.

Sympson, a JCCC adjunct associate professor of psychology since 2005, began her student career at JCCC as a widow in her late 20s with two young children. She had dropped out of high school at age 16 upon the death of her father. Working at a grocery store, she ruptured a disc in her back. A government agency supervising her rehabilitation sent her for testing, where she showed a high scholastic aptitude, and agreed to pay for training.

Sympson enrolled at JCCC and received an associate of applied science degree in fashion design and merchandising and then an associate of arts degree, both with honors, in two-and-a-half years. She was a member of the first student advisory committee for the JCCC Honors program and was one of 10 students selected nationwide to be honored in Washington, D.C., as a National Distinguished Student Scholar in 1989. While attending JCCC, she was a student ambassador, peer tutor and member of Phi Theta Kappa.

But her first psychology class with Brad Redburn, JCCC professor, psychology, changed her life.

"I knew when I left JCCC that I was going to become a psychologist and return here to teach," Sympson said. "I love psychology because it is such a broad discipline, and I love teaching."

Sympson went on to earn her bachelor's and master's degrees and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas, where she was a member of Mortar Board, the recipient of multiple scholarships, a graduate teaching assistant in the psychology and women's studies departments, and an editorial assistant for the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Sympson's master's thesis researched the construction and validation of a state of hope measurement and its flipside, depression. Her PhD dissertation was on a "domain-specific hope scale." One of her main interests is post-traumatic stress syndrome, and after finishing her KU studies, she completed a clinical internship at the James A. Quillen Veterans Administration Medical Center, Johnson City, Tenn., working with Vietnam combat veterans.

After being away from her family for a year, Sympson wanted to return to Kansas City, She presently teaches psychology as an adjunct at JCCC and Park University. She is on theVeterans Advisory Committee and a faculty co-advisor for Invisible Children at JCCC. She is also a core member of the Independent Adjunct Advocates at JCCC.

Asked what she would say to students who face daunting circumstances like her own, Sympson said she would tell them, "Challenge yourself to grow. We can do anything if we think we can. That's why teachers are here for you - to teach the intangible as well as the tangible," she said. "And if you don't know something, ask questions."