Donor Spotlight: Jessie Varner ('09, '11)

Hometown: Louisville, Ky.

Current Town: Smiths Grove, Ky.

Degree/Major: A.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2009, B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2011
 
Did a specific professor, instructor, or course make a special impact on you?
“Rico Tyler was one of them. On a day that I was mad enough to bite nails, he recommended me to the counselor Shaunda White, and she listened intently to me go on and on in her office about my seemingly huge issue. She told me if I ever have a problem to come see her. She became a very dear friend and helped me get through a lot. After I graduated, I had a friend who was going to WKU, and I recommended they go to Shaunda for any issue they may have.”
 
Do any special memories stand out from your WKU Experience?
“The most interesting moment as a student was in the middle of Spanish class during my first semester when a young man blurted out that he didn’t like the class and he didn’t know why he needed to take it. After class, I explained to him that he shouldn’t talk to the professor that way and that he needed the class to get his degree. I told him I’d like for him to figure out a way to apologize to that professor before the end of the semester. About a week or two later, the professor pulled me aside and said the student had come to him and apologized. He noticed that his whole attitude toward the class changed, and in that moment, I realized I had affected two lives in my attempt to affect one life.
 
I also remember when I was walking across that stage in May of 2011, I walked up to President Ransdell, and he looked at me and said, ‘I bet Smiths Grove is really proud of you.’ That moment was special.”
 
How did your WKU Experience prepare you for professional success?
“Well, I was already a professional success before I came to WKU. However, it furthered my ability to continue as a mature adult in the professional world.” 
 
What are some of your interests and hobbies?
“I’ve been a substitute teacher for nine years in both Warren and Edmonson counties. I am a member of the Smiths Grove Lions Club, and I was a volunteer coach for six years. I am an actor and have performed close to 450 times across Kentucky. At the age of 72, I got my real estate license. I also own a successful mobile notary business. In my free time, I enjoy golfing, bowling and watching people. The most fascinating machine on this planet is the human brain, and I like to know what makes people tick.” 

Jessie Varner (’09, ’11) took an unconventional path to WKU after a 31-and-a-half-year career at the United States Post Office, as well as serving in the military, working as a Center Standards Officer for Job Corps and a City Commissioner prior to his time on the Hill. 

After retirement, he decided he wanted to be a substitute teacher, but he did not have enough credit hours from his previous institution. WKU was quickly able to get him enrolled and ready to begin his WKU Experience. 

Since graduation, Varner has been a substitute teacher and has had a lasting impact on his students. He wants to pay it forward because WKU was a gift to him, and without his degree, he wouldn’t be a substitute teacher. 

“I am a proud Hilltopper,” Varner concluded.
 
Why did you decide to make a gift to WKU?
“WKU was a gift to me, and I want to pay it forward. There were some surprises along the way and things that I retained that I wouldn’t have gotten any other way than from the WKU Experience.”

How does supporting your alma mater make you feel?
“It makes me feel like there is a legacy that will not die. Not just me, but all the alumni members are what WKU is really about. There’s a vast sea of people who make up the WKU Alumni Family and we are a strong force to be reckoned with.” 

Posted: Nov. 14, 2022