“In that moment of my life, I desperately needed a place like Job Corps.” Abiona Jones was a new mother experiencing homelessness. Her late father’s family reached out to Abiona offering to help raise her child and put a roof over their heads. After four months of living with family, Abiona found herself in a […]
African-American
Alexia Boston
Alexia Boston was determined to create a life she loved for herself and her two children. She dreamed of going to college after high school and becoming a doctor, but life didn’t work out as she expected. After years of working part-time retail jobs to make ends meet for her family, Alexia felt her dreams […]
Ahmed Alston
Ahmed Alston felt intense pressure to take care of his family and continue putting his future on hold. He couldn’t finish high school, then tried attending Job Corps at 17 years old; but he couldn’t stick with it. Ahmed felt washed out and wasn’t ready for the program. He felt embarrassed around his high school […]
Richard Johnson
In just a few short years, Richard Johnson went from being new to the United States to working for the federal government—and Job Corps is the secret to his success. Richard was born in Liberia on the west coast of Africa; but when he was a young adult, his family chose to immigrate to the […]
Orlando Henry
“Focus on why you went [to Job Corps] in the first place. If that reason isn’t good enough for why you should stay, expand on it. You need to know your why before doing something. If that why is big enough, you can do anything to achieve that goal.” Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Orlando Henry […]
Jamaya Troupe
Jamaya Troupe says that one of her proudest moments as a Job Corps student was the day her instructor her asked her to cook lunch for a group of 100 children. The kids attended a school close to New Haven Job Corps Center in Connecticut, where Jamaya was studying Culinary Arts. “That was my first […]
Jayra Polanco
Whether she’s drawing blood from patients or helping with the emergency department at the hospital, Jayra Polanco is consistently using the skills she learned at Northlands Job Corps to make a difference in people’s lives. Jayra was born in Brooklyn and attended Fair Haven Union High School in Vermont. After graduating from high school, she […]
Elijah Taybron
Before Job Corps, Elijah Taybron was working for FedEx in a warehouse. He was seeking a new opportunity and was interested in welding. Several members of his family were already welding at a local shipyard and encouraged Elijah to go to school and earn his welding certification. Elijah’s mother told him about Job Corps, and […]
Lora Williams
When Lora Williams saw a commercial for Job Corps in 2000, she felt called to dial the number on the screen. “It was a pretty abnormal thing for me to do,” Lora said. “I didn’t think anything would come of it, I just thought I might as well try.” Lora was 16 years old at […]
Tony Flowers
“The highlight of my time at Job Corps was my instructors. They made me who I am today.” When Tony Flowers first arrived at the Gary Job Corps Center, he was looking for a way to make money so he could purchase his own clothes. He had always worked dead-end jobs, including shoveling the snow […]