As Felix Barragan planned for his future career path, he was first drawn to forestry. However, from his first step into the Carpentry shop at Angell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Oregon, Felix knew he was home. Prior to enrolling at Job Corps, Felix worked landscaping, roofing and construction side jobs. With one foot […]
De’Jonne McCorkle
One stint at Job Corps just wasn’t enough for De’Jonne McCorkle. After completing his Carpentry training, De’Jonne decided to follow his family’s footsteps in Electrical. “I wasn’t too big on school; but I heard from a friend that, within two years, I could get my high school diploma and a trade, then immediately get to […]
Andrew Frydenlund
Andrew Frydenlund always hoped to find a career he would enjoy and a financially independent life. At 8 years old, Andrew journeyed with his siblings from an orphanage in Lithuania to the United States. He was adopted by a family in Carmel, Ind., on Sept. 1, 2004. But he was living in a homeless shelter […]
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 […]
Tykuan Harris
“I went from being a high school dropout to being in the military. I am now independent, living alone and making my own money. I wasn’t on the streets, and I wasn’t homeless; but I needed to find a way out to do more, and I found it at Job Corps,” said Gary Job Corps […]
Shakia Smith
“Job Corps taught me discipline, how to listen and to budget,” explained Shakia Smith. “But the most notable thing I learned was to apply myself to everything I do.” When Cleveland Job Corps graduate Shakia was 18 years old and a high school graduate, she knew she wanted to take the right step toward her […]
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 […]
John Hoskins
Kicked out of high school and waiting at a bus station in Cincinnati, John Hoskins heard about Job Corps for the first time. The Michigan native overheard bystanders discussing the Job Corps program and the recent success of someone they knew after graduating. Without much else to do, John decided to look into the program […]
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 […]
Justin Speight
“I decided I needed to get out of my comfort zone—go do something different or have a greater skill set and not just work at the same job and not be happy about it. So that’s why I went to Job Corps.” Justin Speight is a lube technician apprentice at Hubert Vester Toyota in Wilson, […]