Hey, hey, hey. This is Lisa A. And you're listening to Who's That Star? On LCC Connect at Lansing Community College. Who's that Star Is a behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk with the employees at the college. This is an inside look at LCC where you will have a chance to learn about their passions, projects, what inspires them both at work and in their personal lives. I'm your host, Lisa Alexander. I'm so excited to get a chance to talk to all the people who make LCC great. This show is for you to get to know the people that work at Lansing Community College a little bit more and see what makes them tick. Are you ready? Okay. Let's go see who's today's star. On Who's That Star today, we have a lifer. He's been a part of the LCC family for many years. He started working for LCC when he was 17 years old. He worked his way up the ranks and now helps students to understand the financial aspects of college. He helps students understand that college as possible affordable and how they can pay for college. He's won a national award with a colleague for their work in early in multicultural outreach and financial aid. He does a wonderful classroom presentation called Money Matters. Outside of his role at LCC, he also teaches graduate level students in the clinical mental health counseling program through Siena Heights and provides free mental health counseling through through his church. If that wasn't enough, he is an engaged husband and father. Do you want to know whose Today's star is? Okay, audience, let's welcome Jim Owens. Woo hoo. Yeah. Hey Jim, thank you for coming on Who's That Star Today? I'm so glad to have you.

Thank you. This is great. I'm looking forward to this.

Well, I've been excited to talk to you because I think you have so much to offer the LCC community. So let's get started.

Let's do it.

Can you tell me about your work at LCC and what are your roles here?

Yeah, I mean sometimes when people ask what do you do at LCC? I'm like, well, I'm an advisor with a checkbook. I can not only tell you what's a good idea, I can make problems go away. And because we have financial aid in my office, you know, we have tens of millions of dollars that we're administering to students in the form of grants, scholarships, loans and work study. So I'm really trying to help students a figure out how they can pay for college. But then we also have a Whole lot of students who are here, and they end up not doing very well academically. And we put them on academic recess. Not like the good recess when you and I were kids. We got to the bell ring, we're going out on the playground. Like academic recess in college is a bad thing.

Exactly.

And so their financial aid gets cut off, so they have to come talk to an advisor like myself or one of my colleagues. There's six of us, and we kind of evaluate. Are you ready for school right now? Do we need to make some changes in your life or maybe change the pace that you're going at and stuff like that? So we do a lot of assessing of students who are struggling academically and try to figure out what we can do for them, too.

Do you think you get a good rep or a bad rep for that role?

Oh, you know what? Some people love us, some people hate us. It's a hard job.

It is a hard job. And I find that things that are tied with money causes a lot of emotion. Right. And so you definitely have to walk a fine line to help students understand what is happening with their circumstances financially. So. But I think all the financial aid officers do a wonderful job. I never really understood what your role was until we started working with Michigan Reconnect and Future for Frontliners. And I just see it's so intricate. You have to know so many rules, and it's just. It's a big job. So I'm glad that you are there to do it. And these other colleagues. Well, I mentioned in the intro that you started at LCC at 17. How did you get started?

You know, my mom was a full time employee at the college, and I grew up with my mom working at LCC.

Oh, I didn't know that.

Yeah. Yeah. She retired from here.

Okay.

And she worked in a lot of different departments. She was like a department secretary for a lot of different areas. And so when it came time to go to college, I got to go to school here for three.

Yeah. Yes.

Right. That tuition benefit. So I actually graduated from high school over in Grand Haven that lived with my dad over there. But I moved here to go to college because it was free. And she said, you could get a job while you're going to school. And I said, how do I do that? So I applied and I got this job in the orientation staff, and that's where I started.

Oh, so you started in orientation?

That's where I started.

And then did you. What else did you do? You started orientation. Did you go right into.

So Orientation. Back then, the way they did advising. This was before there were academic advisors in the College. This is 1992. There were no academic advisors.

I can't imagine.

Okay, no, I know. I don't know how we did it, but we had two counseling offices located in two different places on campus. We had three libraries and three different buildings back then.

Wow.

But the academic advising was done by the counselors. You had to be an lpc. I'm an lpc. I'm a licensed professional counselor. But that's who did all the academic advising. So to help with that during orientation, they hired staff students to come in and help give tours during these big day long orientation programs. And at the end of the day, we'd tell them about all the student services and speakers would come and talk to the students in the auditorium and we'd break them up into classrooms and have our own little group that two or three of us, advisors, you know, peer advisors, they called us. We talked to these students about, well, this is, you know, school, this is full time, this is part time, this is where the parking's at, this is where the financial aid office is. And we'd help them pick out their classes.

Wow.

So we actually helped them set up their fall schedule.

Really? Yep. Man, times have definitely changed for sure. But if we didn't have any academic advising, I think they must have come up with a good solution because we have graduates, right?

We do.

You knew what you were doing, so.

That's sound like a week long retreat training to train us on curriculum guides and advising and all this. Like really though? But it was peer advising. It was student to student advising.

Wow, that's interesting. Maybe might have to revisit that. Revisit that. So you did that role. Did you ever leave and come back? It doesn't sound like it. Sounds like you stayed through.

Yeah. And then that job turned into a job as, you know, working in the counseling office part time. And then it turned into working into financial aid office part time. And then I was going off to graduate school for counseling to get a counseling degree, a master's in counseling. And my director at the time said, you should try this job full time, just see what you think. And I said, I don't know if I want to do that. I got some opportunity. I had a grad assistantship waiting for me and I had already been planning to move to Kalamazoo and stuff, but I decided to go through the interview process just because I thought it'd be good for me. And then they offered me the job and they offered me a salary and benefits and I was like, maybe I'll try it.

So how did you do that then? Did you not go to Western?

I did, but I didn't take the assistantship. I kind of ran the numbers honestly. This is where the money matter starts. I started playing with the numbers. I was like, well, they're going to give me free tuition on an $18,000 a year stipend or they're going to give me a salary and benefits here. What's worth more to me? And I said, you know what, I think I'm going to take this full time job because it's got a lot more benefits. I'm going to take that and go to school part time.

Oh.

So that's what I did. It took me about three years to finish my master's then.

But you know, I mean, I think that that's a good story because everything, how it's presented may not necessarily be what you need. Right. And so to think about that and to take that, I think that's great. And now you're here and you've been with us for all that time. So after that you've been in financial aid ever since.

Yeah, it's been over 20 years, probably getting close to 25.

Wow.

And I've done so many things in this office. I mean it's, it's been different a little bit every year.

Yeah.

Some of my friends are like, how can you still be doing the same job 25 years later? I'm like, I'm not.

Right.

It literally changes every year. Partly because as you noted, federal rules and state scholarship programs come and go and they change every year. And there's, honestly, there's just a huge need. I can't see myself doing anything more important anywhere else.

No.

So there's really nothing driving me to move.

Well, I know one of the major roles. Well, I don't know if it's major, but it felt major to me when I subbed for in that student the ACAD 100 class. And you did that. Money matters. And I just Left there like one wishing I had met you when I was 20. Right. And then also just thinking about all that information and how you presented it in such a way that I understood what it meant to save money, what it meant to withhold from myself pleasures now, to enjoy them later. And now can I do it? No. But it's always in my mind now. And I think about that like when I'm making choices, I'm like hedonistic, you.

Know, we did talk about some Greek in that class.

You did, but it was relevant, and I think the students understood that. How did you come up with that presentation?

That's a good question. I mean, my team and I came up with it together. I mean, it was a goal for us to try to educate students about money matters, because we did some research and found that almost every student that gets to us has had no training or education from their parents in the household or their school in finances. I didn't. Growing up. I'm gonna assume you didn't. And it's not. I'm not trying to disparage our parents or our school systems, but they just didn't prepare us for it. So we saw it was a need. And for me having this training in psychology, I'm thinking, man, I've got to find a way to motivate people to care about taking care of their money as a resource. And that's where I came up with happiness. And those Greek words, eudaimonia and hedonia. Do you want pleasure now, or do you want pleasure in the future? And, of course, we really need it both places. But a lot of us are stuck in the I want it right now.

Me. You might as well just call me Hedonic Lisa, because I really, you know, that resonated with me, but it also made me realize that you can't always have everything you want when you want it. Right? And so for me, I was like, oh, wow. And so looking at that, I just feel like every student needs to go through that, and I really think they need to go through that in high school. So that way that they have that. So I'm shouting that out because I think people need to call you and bring you everywhere to do that presentation, because it's just that good.

Thank you.

So, well, I also wanted to know a little bit about some of your extracurricular activities. What are some of the things that Jim likes to do outside of saving people money?

Well, I can tell you what my wife observes me doing all the time, which is I'm on my bike, working out all the time, because I like being fit. I like being healthy. I married a woman who's six years younger than me, and I don't want to widow her. I don't want her to have to deal with that.

I get it.

I tease her. I'm like, you don't want to be alone the last 10 years of your life, so I'm gonna try to take care of myself. Plus, going back to saving money. If I'VE been saving for retirement. I want to be there to spend it. You know what I mean? Seriously, like when new employees come here and they'll be like, go talk to Jim. He knows about finances. And before we even start talking about the retirement plans, I ask him, you know, how's your health? You take care of yourself, what's your workout plan and what's your nutrition? I don't have one. I said, well, don't bother saving for retirement then. No, I'm kidding. No.

But I remember we had this discussion too, though. Right. And not that I thought you were being mean or any.

Right, right.

But it's like, who you saving the money for if you're not here? Right. And so it is important to take care of your health. And I'm not the one that really likes to do that, but as you age, you know, you have. Those are things that you have to think about. So you are a health fanatic or.

Kinda. Yeah, I know that rest days are good for me, but I hardly ever take them. But, you know, I'm on my bike a lot. My wife and I race on a mountain biking team. Spin bicycle shop in Old Town.

Really?

Yeah, we love that. So we've already done a few races this.

Wow.

My son, he's nine years old, he races too, in the little junior category. And shout out to him. He took first place in the Upper Peninsula race last year.

Oh, hey now, what's his name?

Gabriel.

Gabriel, this shout out for you because Mike McGinnis, I interviewed him and we were talking about some of the guests that I was gonna have, and I told him I was gonna have you, and he said to make sure to talk about your. He said, your son is going to the Olympics.

He thinks that's what his coaches think.

Yeah, he thinks he's really good. And so, I mean, I think that's. That's something to be prideful about because everybody's not doing that and they don't have that skill set, so.

Well, you know, you and I, we both have a lot of education and that we want that to trickle on down to our kids, but we want other things to trickle on down to them, too. Fitness, a commitment to healthy living, all of that. I want him to, you know, absorb all that. Just like I do. Students here, every student I meet with, we're not just talking about finances. I'm like, what's your major? What's your motivation for that?

Yeah.

What are the challenges you're facing, Facing right now? What can we do to overcome those?

And I Think, you know, that goes to your counseling background, right? You know, that gives you that little extra. Yeah, I'm biased because I believe in counseling and I think that, you know, having that assist a student in processing and thinking about different things that some others may not necessarily approach them with. So let talking about the counseling, tell me a little bit about that.

Well, you know, mental health, I got really interested in that in my first few years in college because I had a girlfriend at the time who told me, hey, I got to tell you something. I said, what's that? She said, I'm anorexic and bulimic. And I said, what is that? I was so ignorant, I didn't even know what that was. Then when she told me, I mean, it really broke my heart. I didn't even know that was a thing, honestly. That's just how the world I grew up in. And so the more I started reading about it, I said, people are struggling. And of course, why didn't I know that? Because nobody talks about it.

Exactly.

Nobody talks about depression or anxiety or mental health challenges in our culture. It's just not common. So I said, well, I gotta get to work on that, first of all. Second of all, I need to get to work on people talking about this. We need to talk about our mental health and our mental challenges.

I agree.

And our emotional challenges and all that. So you'll find me out speaking in the public about mental health as much as you'll see me counseling people in it. Because, you know, I've got to. I want to work at it from both angles, the private and the public. I want people to get that message right.

So you are teaching our future counselors, aren't you? Tell me a little bit about that.

So one of my missions, I got many, is to produce more counselors. Okay, we need more.

We do need more.

I'm gonna tell you right now, anybody who wants to get a good career in mental health, you will have a job. My graduates right now, they have two or three offers waiting for them when they finish school for jobs. And these are good paying jobs and it's a good quality of life and you're helping. But yeah, I've been teaching in the clinical mental health program, training counselors to try to make more counselors available. Because every practice in our area is full. They're a waiting list.

Right.

Especially if you want a specialist in like family and marriage counseling. Those are months long waiting list. So I'm just trying to crank out as many as I can, as fast as I can. I'm always finding people saying, hey, what about a counseling education? What do you think? Because we have so many staff around here who are great in customer service, student services, I'm like, how about a master's in counseling?

Exactly. Go ahead and share that with everyone. Well, I definitely, I think that's a good mission. Right. And I think I've heard from a couple of students that you're pretty good instructor.

Oh, yeah. I've had a lot of LCC employees as students over the years, so I've.

Been, hey, well, you know, they are sending good things. You're still there, so I think you're doing a good job. But I really. The thing that I admire and I wanted to talk to a little bit about is just your volunteering to counsel for free. What made you want to do that? I mean, I know you talked about the mental health, but you're teaching, right? And you're talking to people about it. You work, you full time father and husband. You added another thing to your plate.

I'm gonna get emotional talking about this, but there's just such a huge need and I can do that. And so my wife and I, we're religious and we sat and prayed about it and we said, is this because I'm gonna be giving up? And we're not gonna necessarily get any resources out of that night. My son is gonna go to bed one night a week without his father.

Right.

Putting him to bed and stuff. But it was just like, I get so many phone calls, Lisa. I get so many referrals and emails and calls, especially over the pandemic. I just, I've been doing a lot of referring and it got to the point where I'm referring clients, potential clients, to people who I know that I'm just referring them to a waiting list.

Right.

And I just said, I can't do this anymore. I can't sleep at night. So, you know, I've got some boundaries around it. I just volunteer one night. I got five people. I see every. I was full in a week.

Oh, I bet. And there's in the waiting list for.

You in the waiting list starting. Yeah, there really is. So it's just, it's a desire to give. But also, you know what this is? It's an overflowing of. My life has been very, very good. I've had a very good adult life. Let's say my childhood was not good. And many of us didn't have that.

And. Yeah, and I wanted to kind of touch about. I wanted to touch on your childhood. A little bit, if you don't mind sharing. Because I think when I was reading and, you know, doing some of the research and some of the questions, I read some things and you had a hard childhood. And I don't think people. I mean, not that they need to know, but I think it could help somebody, right? Like what you went through and where you are now, it can be done. Right? And I think that people need to know that everybody is not out here having this, oh, wonderful beginning, and everybody had everything given to them or, you know, whatever. People had to struggle, and some more than others, and they still thrive in. And they're still making it. And if you could just talk a little bit about your background, you know,.

And many of the people on my team, we have this similar background. I think people look at the advisors and those of us like you and I, who've done well, we're in a position of great success. And people look at us and think, wow, must have been nice to have been there your whole life. It's like, nah. So for me, you know, I grew up in the Midwest, here in Michigan, in central Michigan, a couple different cities. My parents got divorced when I was 10 years old. Out of the blue, they sat us down and said, we're splitting up. And I was like, I never saw a fight. I don't know what's happening.

Right.

We moved. We immediately. My dad was mia. We went into poverty. The lights weren't coming on, the water wasn't coming on. There were no money for clothes. There was not money for food. All the time that happened, that went on for years. So that was difficult in a lot of different ways. And a lot of that stuff, I've got a lot of healing around that. But when you're in that kind of a space, in and out of like, we couldn't always live with our parents. They couldn't take care of us, so we had to live with other families sometimes. And when you're in that spot, it's a spot where you're looking around at the people next to you thinking, man, they all have it so good. I wish I could just have 10% of their good life or 5% of their good life. And then I realized, you know what? I think maybe it's possible that to get that life if I start working hard, because my grandfather grew up in an orphanage. He was raised by Dominican sisters in Saginaw, and He got his PhD and was superintendent of schools for the Department of Defense.

Really?

Yeah. So he went from rags to riches, and I Said that was the example I had in my life of like, you know what? I think maybe if I work hard, maybe something could happen.

And it definitely. Did your background play a role into why you're like, pay attention to money?

Yeah. Because. Well, let me give you the other piece on where this money matters stuff starts from. I wasn't always good with money. Partly we didn't have any growing up. So then I didn't know what to do with it when I got it. When I got that first full time job. It wasn't long after I got this job here where I had to make rent and I didn't have the money in my bank account. And I remember I was scrounging around for change, going to transfer to deposit in my bank and I just looked, I said, jim, you are a college graduate and you don't have money to pay rent. This has got to change. That was the moment when it was the aha moment. I was like, no, okay, I'm gonna take control of my money. And I started reading books because I'm a nerd.

Okay.

So I went and got books on money matters and all that stuff and, and I started asking questions of people who knew things.

Wow. Yeah, I think that's so interesting. And I just really find that, that early education is, is really important. And I wanted to ask you one more question before you. We go.

Okay.

What would you, what advice would you give your younger self? Ooh,.

Put it in a word and then I'll unpack it. Relax, because I am, I am just. I have a lot of energy. It's just the way I was made. I have a. I have a strong constitution. I don't get worn out easily. I'm an endurance athlete. I do long distance racing and stuff like that. And I, and I work really hard, but my wife has taught me to relax and enjoy the process, enjoy the moment. So if I could go back, I'd be like, work hard, but enjoy it too while you're doing it. Which is. I'm trying to get to that space. Honestly, I'm still working at it.

Yeah.

So, yeah, relax and enjoy it as you go.

And that makes sense. You know, I think that's good advice to you. Keep going and going and going and you keep. What are you looking? You know, I'm looking for the next thing. And you can't enjoy what you've accomplished and done. And so I think that is good advice for everyone that we will leave off with today. I want to thank you, Jim, for coming in and sharing about what you do here at LCC, how you help so many students in our community, and just to learn about who you are as a person and because you're helping people in LCC community, but outside of the community as well. And I just. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, everyone, I can't wait to see you. Next week on Who's That Star? You've been listening to Who's That Star? I'm Lisa A. And you can listen to this episode of Who's That Star? and other shows from LCC Connect anytime online at LCCconnect.Org. Thank you for listening. Catch me next time to find out Who's That Star.