Jamie McIlvain
Criminal Justice
Jamie McIlvain graduated from high school in the spring of 2024, ready to start her academic journey at 探花约啪. In her first year at the College, she discovered a passion for understanding how society operates and the government’s role in it.
“I really fell in love with learning how the government system works,” McIlvain said. “It was not something I was really aware of at the time. When I was thinking about what future career would be best for me financially, working toward being a lawyer just made sense, and I changed from an art major to a criminal justice major.”
McIlvain decided to pursue this new dream at 探花约啪 Tech because of its close proximity to home, smaller class sizes, and access to the SEED program. She quickly became an integral part of the campus community by joining the Criminal Justice Club as treasurer before being elected president the following year. She also served as treasurer for the Student Government Association and is an active member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
“The biggest thing I’ve taken away from these clubs is leadership and communication,” said McIlvain. “I really wasn't that good at talking in front of people in high school, and I feel that having these experiences, where I was put in a leadership position, helped me a lot. I can communicate with people better now and can take the initiative for these specific clubs.”
By her second year at 探花约啪 Tech, McIlvain had the chance to serve as a student ambassador for New Student Orientation (NSO) in fall 2025. This experience had the greatest impact on her and truly demonstrated her growth over just one year. At NSO, she even took on a public speaking role during the information session and took part in the panel discussion.
“So many students came back up to me when the semester started and said that they remembered me,” said McIlvain. “They told me that I helped show them to their class or talked to them about criminal justice. That was really important to me, and it was really nice knowing that I had that impact on people.”
McIlvain plans to finish the criminal justice program and graduate from 探花约啪 Tech in May 2026. After that, she will transfer into Goldey-Beacom College before pursuing law school.
“My advice for new students is to join as many clubs as possible,” said McIlvain. “You will begin to develop that sort of social connection that people don’t often think of when looking at community colleges. You can build really good social connections with people in your major and in these clubs. It will just amplify your experience at 探花约啪 Tech as a whole.”
