Jessica Henry // Student Story

Jessica Henry was born the first of six children in her hometown in northern California. In the early 1990’s she was a long-time member of her Girl Scout Troup and was a semi-finalist in the cup stacking competition held by the local Boys and Girls Club. Around age 12 she moved with her family to Arizona and spent just over 20 years in the hot desert sun. During this time she was very interested in teaching and education.

In 2001 she was one of two students selected out of 1200 in her sophomore class to attend a weeklong National Prospective Teacher’s Camp at the University of Indiana. The conference focused on team building, learning styles, and encouragement for prospective future educators. Unfortunately, in late 2001 Jessica’s mother became very ill and almost died from complications during surgery. Her grandfather died later the same year, and her mother lost the family home. Fortunately, her mother later recovered after several years of extensive medical treatments.

During this time Jessica paused her higher education goals to work full time and take care of her younger siblings and ill mother. A few years later her mother returned to health, and Jessica purchased a home about 40 minutes away. She began her career working in the technology industry, and for 5 years she worked as a technical support and sales consultant. During this time, she and a colleague were the owners of two rental properties and a small property management business. While in Arizona she filled her time with hiking, camping, traveling and attending shows and concerts with her four brothers and two dogs.

In 2012 she met her future husband. The couple later moved to Germany to live together while awaiting his discharge from the German Army. Upon her return, she entered the finance and Mortgage industry, passing exams to hold a Mortgage Loan Officer license in 14 states. When her first son was born in 2015, she and her husband decided that the scorching heat was not the best place to raise children, and after many visits, they moved to Colorado Springs. In 2017 they welcomed their second son.

Jessica enjoyed a successful career in finance and marketing while in Colorado, but in 2019 she decided she wanted to return to the technology industry. She is currently enrolled in a CAD Mechanical Engineering degree program at PPCC, with hopes to specialize in 3-D design after graduation.