A Job Corps experience so nice, he did it twice! When Xavier Edwards graduated from high school in Charlotte, N.C., he was looking for a more cost-effective education path than college. His mom did some research and introduced him to Job Corps. Xavier moved to Brevard, N.C., and completed the Culinary Arts program at Schenk […]
MINACT
Anthony Lugo
Following his medical separation from the United States Navy in 2020, Anthony was looking for a career outside of the only one he had ever known. He had his high school diploma and the ambition to do more but was looking for an extra level of support to get started. “I needed something to feel […]
Wendy Chen
When Wendy Chen arrived in the United States from China, she realized not knowing English was going to be a challenge for her. She wanted her chance at the American dream and knew that learning English and getting an education were necessary to do so. After being unable to gain employment for a while due […]
Heidi Mann
Heidi Mann knew that there was something for her outside of her hometown in “middle of nowhere, Wyoming.” As much as she loved where she grew up, she knew she had to search for an education elsewhere in order to reach her full potential. When she was denied a scholarship to study sign language from […]
Shayla Shoemaker
“I was a high school dropout,” Shayla Shoemaker said. “As soon as the dropout paperwork was signed, my resource officer told me I needed to sign up for Job Corps. He said that I was too bright to just give up.” Shayla was ready to succeed. Her Job Corps journey began in 2019 when she […]
Robert Gagnon
Robert Gagnon wants to be the first Job Corps graduate to run for president. While he admits that it’s an ambitious goal, he feels confident about what he can achieve—thanks in part to how Job Corps helped him grow. Robert’s skills as a natural leader shone in his time at Gerald R. Ford Job Corps […]
Angel Leija
Families pass down all sorts of things, from kitchen recipes to career recommendations. Texas native Angel Leija got both from her family. Angel’s mother got her involved in the kitchen from a young age, but it was when she started selling breakfast tacos to her fellow high school students and was racking up dozens of […]
Angelus Imaniriho
In September 2016, Angelus Imaniriho moved to the United States at 20 years old. Before leaving his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angelus was in a refugee camp. Moving to the United States presented several challenges for Angelus. For one, he was in 11th grade back home, but in the United States […]







