A Testimony to Jessup’s Return on Investment
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it (Proverbs 22:6, NIV).
Every Christian parent strives for a Proverbs 22:6 experience. While all may not have the privilege to see it happen before their eyes, others definitely do. Case in point is Jeremy Cook, pastor of Concord Bible Church and proud father of alumnus, Dylan Cook.
Earlier this year, Jeremy called a Jessup staff member expressing his gratitude for the impact a Jessup education made for his son. “My wife and I couldn’t be more excited about what Dylan’s experience was there,” Jeremy said. “Granted, nothing is perfect, but we’ve been so incredibly pleased and want to be a testimony to that.”
After taking a gap year following high school graduation and later enrolling in classes at community college, Dylan headed out on a train trip to San Diego. His dad remembers their goodbye vividly. “I told Dylan to really take this time to pray about what the Lord would have for him next,” Jeremy said. “Meanwhile, I went back to work doing exit interviews for our summer staff who were onboard seasonally to run daily camp-type activities. That was where I saw a common connection among many of the staff who were either Jessup students or alumni. They all spoke so highly of the University, so I thought it was worth exploring further. When Dylan returned, I approached him with the idea of attending Jessup and he said he was interested to check it out.”
It wasn’t long before Dylan enrolled as a computer science major and started to plug into a variety of activities on campus. He later became a resident adviser taking many international students under his wing. Musically gifted, he also played drums in one of Jessup’s worship bands in addition to being part of the prayer team. “Jessup offers ample opportunities to get connected. Everyone was so welcoming. Come to think of it, I never met anyone who didn’t have friends,” he said. “Jessup is an environment where students can thrive because there aren’t barriers to join something. You might have to try out for something, but students are encouraged rather than discouraged, to join activities and leadership.”
With a strong interest in information technology (IT), Dylan took the initiative to begin his next strategic move on campus which was to become involved in IT. “I used to stop in the IT office with my resume in hand explaining that even though I knew there weren’t any openings, I wanted them to have my resume for when an opening did come up. I was pretty persistent,” he said.
That persistence paid off and an opening did come along. Dylan became a student worker at the University’s IT help desk, an opportunity that opened the door for his career today. After graduation, he became an employee and moved along the ranks from a tier-one to a tier-two help desk technician, eventually making his way to IT manager. “The beauty of working at Jessup was that I gained exposure to different aspects of IT. From system administration to server management to deployment and firewall policy, for example. I also worked on so many unique projects like opening every port on campus for ethernet access or installing AI camera’s in the gym or building out the science labs for our nursing programs. It was a compilation of highly marketable experiences to have on my resume.”
As an integral part of the IT team, Dylan made a positive impression as a Jessup employee in IT. “Dylan has always been a high-impact man, a hard worker and a natural leader,” Jessup’s IT Director, Michael Pagan said. “It’s been a privilege to watch him flex his gifts technically and relationally to the glory of God.”
Over a year ago, Dylan moved on from Jessup’s IT department and now represents the City of Roseville as a client services supervisor in an IT department of 58 people. Drawn to the profession not only for the technical aspect, but also for the relational and service side, Dylan excels not only exhibiting stellar customer service skills, but also by displaying extraordinary leadership skills. Within his first year in this supervisory role, he was recognized with a “Manager of the Year” award.
“One of the main things I took away from my Jessup experience was that as Christians, we have the ability to stand out, as a result of our actions,” he said. “When I took this role, I knew I wanted to earn the respect of my team. I knew the only way to do that is to be led by the Holy Spirit and show by my actions that there is something different about me. I came in with humility, got my hands dirty and demonstrated what I would consider Christian-based values.”
Ever grateful to the Jessup IT team, Dylan strives to recreate the same healthy work environment he experienced on campus with his current team. “I make every effort to lead by example and treat others how I want to be treated. That’s the model and foundation I was trained in and want to pass that on to my employees.”
Still connected with the friends he made at Jessup, Dylan has created a core of life long friends. “Just this last week, I played basketball two times with a Jessup alum, my roommates are alums and lots of my friends at church are alumni,” he said.
As Jeremy Cook puts it, “I think that Jessup’s return on investment has been pretty incredible for Dylan,” he said. “His experience edified his musical giftedness, developed his leadership, confidence and competence and he developed a fantastic sense of work ethic. All of these things proved instrumental to his current success and we couldn’t be more impressed with the young man he has become.”
