Football Helps Student Score Big

“Santa Ana College was very helpful to me and my family in a period of transition,” says Jon Voget, executive director of the Santa Ana YMCA and new member of the SAC President’s Circle. “It offered me alternative roads to the education I wanted.”

Growing up in Santa Ana, Jon was in the first graduating class of Saddleback High School. “Athletics were very important to me,” he recalls. “They kept me in school in a good environment. Playing basketball and football gave me direction and discipline.”

His parents were able to send his three older sisters to four-year colleges, but the family resources were depleted when his turn came. Jon enrolled in Santa Ana College, where he not only completed his AA degree, but also played football. As an all-conference tight end, he attracted the attention of Long Beach State football recruiters, who offered him a full scholarship. There he earned a teaching degree in industrial arts.

The athletics industry still attracted him, and today he is very happy to be working within the YMCA of Orange County, providing the youth of Santa Ana with the wholesome environment they richly deserve. “Involvement in athletics can promote discipline and character development,” Jon says. “That’s what we aim to accomplish through the YMCA’s programming.

“The YMCA has been gifted with two-and-a-half acres of property by the Segerstrom family, “ he continues, “and we are currently in a capital campaign to raise funds to build a new facility with an aquatic center, soccer fields and much more for our youth and families. Many residents of this community have so little, but are so appreciative of the programs we provide to them.”

“I feel the same way about Santa Ana College, and that is why I was pleased to join the President’s Circle,” Jon concludes. “The teachers and the athletic program were great when I attended. Playing football there gave me the opportunity to attend a four-year college, and I am very grateful. I will always be a supporter of this school and its programs.”

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