“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 routine of waking up, taking care of her child, going back to sleep and repeating the same pattern every day.
Approaching age 19, Abiona thought, “I am so young. I never graduated from high school. I don’t want to continue on this path, especially with a child to take care of.”
She decided to enroll in Job Corps after hearing from her friend and her cousin who both attended Job Corps that it would be a great opportunity for her to find a job and start a new life.
Once she arrived at Glenmont Job Corps Center, one of her greatest challenges was speaking up.
“I was always quiet, even before coming to Job Corps. I wasn’t looking to talk with other people or make friends, but the environment and instructors at Job Corps encourage you to speak up for yourself and connect with others. You can’t go a day without talking to other people or forming relationships. As an introvert, I had to come out of my shell.”
While on campus, Abiona made friends quickly through Student Government Association. She didn’t feel confident she could take on a leadership position at first, but a new friend encouraged her to try the secretary position. As a leader of SGA, Abiona attended meetings, planned events and activities, and built lasting relationships with students and staff. The skills she learned through SGA and the encouragement she received from instructors transformed Abiona into a leader in her classes and a confident communicator.
Aside from having to overcome the challenges of communicating with others, being away from her child was the hardest part of the process.
“I knew my education was on the line and my child needed me. That motivated me to work even harder toward finishing my training, graduating and finding a job.”
As Abiona approached graduation, Job Corps staff helped her apply for jobs, hunt for an apartment and prepare for interviews.
Abiona graduated from the Clinical Medical Assistant training area on April 16, 2021, and began working for Whitney Young Dental Healthcare, making $16.08 an hour. She now works as a pre-encounter associate at Albany Memorial Hospital with a goal to become a nurse, buy a house and obtain her driver’s license within the next five to 10 years.
“My Job Corps experience far exceeded my expectations. I got the chance to meet many different types of people and learn so much from each of them. Almost everything I do in my job, I learned from Job Corps.”
Her only regret is not finding Job Corps sooner. “I would have gone as early as I could. The journey will feel like it goes on forever; but before you know it, you will be where you want to be. Stay focused on your future and work toward it with everything you’ve got.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: April 2021 Employer: Pre-Encounter Associate, Albany Memorial Hospital Hometown: Albany, New York Phone: 518-530-8020 Email: jonesabiona1@gmail.com Submitted by: Lydia Henry Notes:
Source: Lindsey Robbins, Communications Manager, Adams & Associates, Inc, lrobbins@adamsaai.com, (410) 964-2888