Janet Ingargiola

Janet Ingargiola is an inspiration to those who think achieving a college education is a daunting task and beyond their reach. She dropped out of high school to marry and raise a family. After a short period of time, she realized that obtaining a better education was a way to increase her financial income that would also help to improve her family’s life -- but first she had to complete her high school education.

She started her college journey by successfully obtaining her General Education Development (GED) certificate. Her next step was to obtain an associate’s degree in science. She then completed her bachelor’s degree in science and went on to earn a master’s degree in Science in Education. As she increased her education level, she was also able to increase her earning potential.

Janet went from working in lowpaying jobs with no benefits to joining the community college workforce. She currently serves as the Financial Aid Director for Danville Area Community College in Danville, IL. She has over 27 years of experience working with community college students as a fellow student, student worker, support staff member and administrator.

She actively volunteers for various outreach activities including Young Women Aware at local high schools, Hispanic Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, the diversity team at her campus, and many other studentoriented activities. She is a member of the Illinois College Access Network (ICAN).

Janet believes it “takes a village” to raise our children and that all of us in the profession of student financial aid must be active in outreach opportunities to provide early awareness and an understanding of available financial aid programs and resources.

Recent Contributions

• Learning the Hard Way: Part 1
• Learning the Hard Way: Part 2