Jenny Cote

Jenny Cote never imagined her career would lead to federal prison, but looking back, she can see signs of the path she would eventually take.

Jenny remembers little about the monuments, White House or government buildings during a family trip to Washington, D.C. when she was 8. What stayed with her were homeless people.

She begged her parents to give food or money to every person they passed and they obliged.

“My heart for people is, and has always been, what matters most to me,” Jenny says.

Today, Jenny serves in the Religious Services Department as complex mentor coordinator at Federal Correctional Complex Coleman, where she facilitates and teaches faith-based classes.

Working with an incarcerated population has shaped the way Jenny views her role and the people she serves.

“I am not the judge, nor am I the jury,” she says. “I am simply an imperfect being whom God saw a glimpse of goodness in, goodness meant to be passed along to a population of human beings that are all too often forgotten by society.”

Jenny teaches about hope, faith and the belief that a person’s circumstances do not eliminate the possibility of purpose or transformation.

While others may see prison only as a place of confinement, Jenny sees a mission field and an opportunity to reach people who may have lost hope.

“My goal has always been simple: to change and transform mindsets,” she says. “Seeing a life shift from absolute hopelessness to divine purpose is exactly why I do this work.”