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 he was too old to attend a regular high school.
He was determined to continue his education and heard from friends in similar situations that Job Corps was the best path to take.
Angelus began training in Building Construction Technology at the Home Builders Institute at St. Louis Job Corps Center in November 2016. While enrolled at Job Corps, he was able to earn his high school diploma, gain hands-on experience and attend St. Louis Community College.
Job Corps helped him with every aspect of transitioning from Job Corps to the workforce, from work to continuing his education, to finding a place to live.
Although he planned on a career path in construction, he decided to make a career change to nursing. He currently is earning a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing with plans to pursue further education to become a nurse practitioner.
Angelus still finds ways to apply his construction training to his everyday life. As a homeowner, he has found his experience incredibly helpful in saving money and being self-sufficient. He even makes extra money helping friends in need of home and other building projects.
Angelus is also paying it forward and serves refugees and immigrants through a local agency in St. Louis. He helps people with similar backgrounds find opportunities to adapt and work in the United States, including people interested in pursuing education and career training through Job Corps.
“The professionalism I learned from Job Corps gave me the confidence to work in a variety of fields.”
His advice for prospective students? “If you accept failure, you won’t find success, and if you fail, you can still succeed.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: January 6, 2018 Employer: Student, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing; social worker Hometown: Democratic Republic of Congo Phone: 314-696-9949 Email: imanirihoa@iistl.org Submitted by: Lydia Henry