By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer
Jimmy Ko, 30, is a commercial banker with JP Morgan Chase & Co. in Irvine, but he admits that he was not the best student as a teenager growing up in Anaheim Hills. Even when he followed his older sister to Santiago Canyon College, he stayed out late many nights, not caring that his grades were sinking.
“My first semester at SCC was not the best,” Ko said. “And then the spring semester after that, I got tuberculosis.”
Forced to withdraw from all his classes and isolate at home, Ko experienced a dramatic change of heart. He reflected on his carefree life and low grades while his parents worked hard in their restaurant to support the family. “I was not particularly proud of myself at that point,” Ko said.
He vowed to change.
As soon as he got the OK to return to school, Ko threw himself into his classes and stepped up for leadership roles, eventually becoming president of Associated Student Government. “I was hyperfocused on doing well in school and just trying to be more involved,” he said.
He studied economics and decided on a business career. “For a first-gen student, your options are business, doctor or lawyer. I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor or a lawyer,” he said. “My parents always owned restaurants, and so business was a natural transition. My parents were both very good chefs, but they didn’t necessarily like the banking side of how to run a business, so I gravitated toward that.”
His parents lost their restaurant and decided to return to South Korea when Ko was still at SCC. “So, days before my 21st birthday I had to figure out things on my own,” he said. He stayed at SCC to finish his studies while his older sister worked to support them both.
“SCC really helped me because it was like my first family,” he said, still appreciative of the support he received from teachers during his 2011–2014 years there — particularly from professors Alex Taber, Rick Adams, Will…
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