Alumni: Jesse Hagan

Jesse Hagan originally did not know what he wanted to do, but he did have a desire to earn a college degree. OCTC allowed him to take general education courses and explore many fields to fine tune his interests.

Through the OCTC Speech and Debate Team, he was able to further understand and develop his skills. Jesse impressed the faculty at OCTC so much that he was selected to help host the event with Dave Eggers author of The Circle. Jesse describes this as one of the “coolest experiences” and enjoyed the extra time he was able to spend with the author. Their discussions together helped him narrow his final options on what he wanted to do with his life.

After graduating in 2018 with his Associate in Arts, Jesse transferred to WKU to earn his Bachelor’s degree in History. At this point, he was interested in attending law school, which is exactly what he is doing today by taking classes at the University of Louisville.

We were honored to hear what Jesse had to say about OCTC faculty who inspired him along the way. Kaye Brown, OCTC English professor, is one of his, “favorite professors of all time,” and he credits her with helping him develop into a better writer. Jesse was a student in OCTC Adjunct Professor, Kevin Dorth’s history classes both at OCTC and WKU and describes how his exams prepared him for similar exams he now has in law school. He also enjoyed classes and opportunities with Dr. Micah Perkins, OCTC department head and Biology professor, and Dr. Bob Glenn, who works diligently with the Speech and Debate Team.

Overall, he says, “the biggest thing OCTC did for me was it kicked me in to gear.” He was unsure of what he wanted to do after high school, so he was able to try things without just wasting money on classes that would not benefit him later.

As an alumnus, some of his advice to current students is, “Do something and do your best.” As he mentioned, it is hard to know what you want to do right after high school even though it is a common expectation, but he encourages students, “Keep trying different things.”

With all he has accomplished, he is most proud of his family as he and his wife now have a baby. Careerwise, his plan is to possibly practice law and then become a staffer in a government office. We have no doubt that his path is going to continue to be filled with many great things.