Jinny Wesson – horses and key punch classes
When you ask Jinny Wesson about Renton Technical College she immediately smiles and begins with a rich history that includes horseback riding and key punch classes.
“I’ve seen lots of changes at RTC and in the community,” says Jinny, “And it’s a great place to work.”
For 19 years, Jinny has served in the library as a coordinator and currently manages all of the technical services cataloging – keeping the library digitally organized and helping students with their inquiries and questions.
But her connections to RTC didn’t start with the Dewey decimal system. As a teenager, Jinny rode her horse around the college grounds when only two buildings existed on the property. She is also an alumni who launched her career with key punch classes back in the 1970s.
Jinny and her husband Craig, a Boeing retiree, have been longtime donors to the RTC Foundation through the RTC employee payroll deduction plan.
“I felt that I wouldn’t miss a little bit of money out of each paycheck,” says Jinny. “I saw it as a way to give back to the students and contribute to campus life.”
Jinny started doing payroll deductions 15 years ago and Craig also made charitable donations to the RTC Foundation through Boeing’s employee giving program. Her donation supports our Emergency Support fund, ensuring RTC students don’t have to choose between paying for school or paying for life expenses.
“No matter how much you give, if everyone chips in it really adds up. It also ensures students get the support they need,” says Jinny.
And that is what makes Jinny a foundation superhero!
For more information on how to start payroll deductions contact Amy Parks aparks@rtc.edu
A Cugini family tribute
We are saddened by the passing of Alex Cugini, Jr. on March 14, 2016. As a longtime resident of Renton, Mr. Cugini and his family have worked to better the lives of many people through a lifetime of philanthropy and investment in this community.
Over the past two decades, dozens of women from all walks of life have been given the opportunity to advance their education at RTC and realize their dreams to become entrepreneurs and business associates through the Josephine Belmondo Cugini Endowment.
The Cugini Endowment was established through a generous donation from Mr. Cugini and his wife Norma, a founding board member of the RTC Foundation, to honor the life and legacy of his mother.
Many of RTC’s students are first-generation college students and finances are the number one obstacle to achieving their education dreams. Mr. Cugini understood this and as a first-generation American with immigrant parents, knew how education opened the door to the American dream.
Elizabeth Slenning, a Cugini Scholar, said, “Families like yours are a blessing in this community and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for selecting me.” Elizabeth received the Cugini scholarship in Fall 2015 and this June she is graduating with honors with her Associate’s Degree in Business Management.
It is a gift that keeps giving and strengthens families and communities throughout the region.
On behalf of the RTC Foundation board and staff, we extend our deepest gratitude and condolences to the Cugini family and want to thank them for leading by example and demonstrating to the next generation the meaning of generosity and true community.