After being expelled multiple times for physical violence, Alexis was banned from attending D.C.-area public schools, and her family could not afford to send her to private school. She was only 15, yet she found herself with nowhere to go. Unsure where to turn, a friend who was in a similar situation told Alexis about Job Corps and her plans to get a free education there. After 3 months of finding no other way to gain employment or further her education, Alexis decided to enroll at the Woodland Job Corps Center in Maryland. 
While at Woodland Job Corps, Alexis earned her high school diploma and graduated from the Office Administration training program. She was extremely involved on campus and was even a dorm leader and the vice president of the Student Government Association. She credits these leadership roles with changing the way she functioned and lived her life. Before coming to Job Corps, Alexis always did what she wanted without thinking about how it impacted others. But on campus, she found a place where she could carry responsibility, and she started to like this new side of herself.
“I wasn’t expecting to gain the experience I did,” Alexis said. “I didn’t know much about Job Corps at first, so I didn’t have high expectations. I can honestly say now though that being able to have those leadership roles on campus is what sparked my interest in a career that involved becoming a leader and has guided me in a lot of what I have done so far.”
She never would have guessed after being expelled at age 15 that she would soon be a well-respected leader among her peers and teachers.
Alexis admits that it wasn’t always easy, and as someone who had disciplinary issues in the past, she found the structure to be a difficult adjustment in the beginning. She grew to appreciate that structure when she realized how graduating from Job Corps could bring her more opportunities.
“Small disciplinary actions could result in my losing my spot at Job Corps, and that was what gave me the focus and determination I needed to complete my training and seek out more room for growth,” Alexis said.
After she earned her Office Administration credentials, Job Corps paid for Alexis to take her SATs. She then applied and was accepted to Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., where she majored in criminal justice. Alexis discovered her passion for law, which led her to Howard Law school, where she graduated. Thirteen years after being expelled from high school with no clear path forward, Alexis found herself with two college degrees, a career she’s passionate about, and a vision for her future.
Where does she see herself in the next 5 to 10 years? The answer is a lot of places. “I am studying to take the bar exam right now, but I won’t stop there,” she said. “I want to become a public defender and then a judge who works to combat systemic racism. My long-term goal is to start a nonprofit that helps struggling youth in my community like I was.”
Her biggest advice to current and prospective students is to “continue to remain focused and determined. It can be easy to stray away and get into something that would jeopardize your experience, but remember why you are there in the first place.” Most of all, Alexis wants students to consider one thing, that “when you want to quit, remember that hope and courage that brought you there and who you want to be when you leave.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: 2009 Employer: Howard Law School graduate; Currently studying for the Bar Exam Hometown: Washington, D.C. Phone: 202-374-5088 Submitted by: Washington Post article