McKenzie Breidenthal

McKenzie Breidenthal grew up coming to Kansas City Kansas Community College. Her father, George Breidenthal Jr., was a well-known member of the community, serving on the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Education for more than 30 years. That meant she frequented the KCKCC campus for activities and events. She also attended Creative Experiences at KCKCC, which gave children in the community a chance to take courses on campus. It was her comfort level with the college that led her to attend KCKCC to complete her associates degree.

“KCKCC was close to home, and I also had kind of grown up being on campus. I knew the lay of the land already,” she said. “I loved it. It was really laid back, but in a good way. The teachers that I had were really understanding of people’s schedules and were very accommodating. It was also just a really comfortable place to be, and the class sizes were small, which was nice.”

Breidenthal graduated from KCKCC in 2012 with her associates in general studies. She then moved onto the University of Kansas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in elementary education. She is now co-president of the Breidenthal Family Foundation, which contributes to a variety of community organizations and educational institutions in the Kansas City area. In fact, the Breidenthal Family Foundation contributed $500,000 to the campaign to build the KCK Community Education, Health and Wellness Center in downtown Kansas City, Kansas.

“Giving back to the KCKCC community really aligns with what our foundation is about, so when I learned of the Centennial Path Campaign, I knew this was something I wanted to support,” she said. “The KCK Community Education, Health and Wellness Center is something that is truly needed downtown because there is a great need for that part of the community, which has been underserved. To be able to have something that incorporates education as well as other entities is a such a wonderful holistic approach that will benefit so many in the community.”

Breidenthal is also a member of the college’s Centennial Path to 2023 Steering Committee, the Wyandotte County Advisory Board for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City and the Kansas Historical Foundation, among others. She said she thinks colleges like KCKCC are important for bringing people together and giving students a taste of what the college experience is like, for a much more affordable cost.

“I just think that this college is so great for the community,” she said. “Everything is on a smaller scale, and that helps people to get their feet wet in what the college experience is like. It also helps some decide if college is for them and make that decision if they want to move onto somewhere bigger. It is just nice to be here. It is such a melting pot. Whether it’s different ethnicities, different races, different age groups – there is a little bit of everything. It is a place for everyone.”

Looking toward the future, Breidenthal said she is excited for what is to come.

“I am excited that we finally got campus housing. That is a huge step in the right direction,” she said. “I am also excited for the things going on downtown and bringing in different community resources. They (KCKCC) are putting themselves on the map - not just as a college, but focusing more on the community part of the college.”