Jenny’s nursing career began in the medical infection floor at Kenmore Mercy Hospital and took her through cardiac care, stroke, hospice, newborn nursery, and mother-baby nursing.
“I finally found my dream job in working as a school nurse,” she says. But health complications forced her to step away. “Facing many medical complications, I was forced to give up my beloved job but have since started focusing on my writing. I have self-published one novel and am currently in the process of working on other novels.” Her journey took another profound turn when she was diagnosed with late-stage 3, early-stage 4 ovarian cancer. But even that, she believes, was used for a purpose: “God has come up with new plans. I’ve gotten to use my illness as a platform to share my faith in God with many I never would have reached had it not been for the cancer.”

Jesse and Jenny were married on August 18, 2010, and just celebrated their 15th anniversary. Their story is filled with sweet moments of realization—like discovering they had been on the same soccer team as kids after finding an old team photo. “It’s funny because we didn’t date at CCA, but now that we are married, we have a lot of common memories.”

Their son Micah has attended CCA since kindergarten. “We are blessed to know our son Micah goes to a school where he is safe and loved. The school has been so loving and supportive through our journey and we don’t regret how our lives turned out. God had a better plan, and seeing his work through our lives and through our son’s life, is all that we need.”

But perhaps one of the most touching parts of their CCA legacy is how it brought them their daughter. “Sally Li was an international student who went to CCA for Junior and Senior year. She graduated in 2020 and went to Wheaton on a full scholarship and is marrying her college sweetheart in June of this year. Without CCA, and Lynette Wrigglesworth, we never would have had our Sally. She completed our family and is a joy and treasure in our lives.”

Jennifer and Jesse are quick to recognize the impact of the CCA teachers and staff who shaped them. “There are many teachers who have touched our lives: Mr. Philips, Mrs. Conschafter, Mrs. Wrigglesworth, both my mom and grandfather, and many others who dedicated their lives to reaching kids through education. Theirs is a living sacrifice.”

Their advice to today’s students is simple yet profound: “Don’t measure success in the same way the world does. In the end, the only thing that matters is what God will say. The thing I want to hear most is ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ There is no better success.”