Jared Pines wasn’t getting anywhere with his job search. He was looking to further his education when a friend told him about Job Corps. Jared went to a Job Corps office and learned about the Cascades Job Corps Center. He had previously graduated from high school and was enticed by the opportunity to get a degree in computer science.
Jared completed several programming classes in high school and was very interested in game and web design. He was excited to go to Cascades Job Corps since it offered not only game and web design, but the opportunity to earn college credits.
At Cascades Job Corps, Jared learned how to use Blender, a 3D modeling software, Adobe Photoshop, HTML and several other important programs. Jared also earned credentials for CompTIA fundamentals, Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint. He even founded and led the Nintendo Club on center.
For the College Pilot Program, Jared would leave campus and attend Skagit Valley College. Job Corps provided transportation to and from campus to ensure everyone could get to college easily. Jared took computer science classes and succeeded along the way.
Job Corps staff prepared Jared for his college work. He appreciated the amount of support he had, and is especially thankful for Mark Benson, Heather Huntington, Mary Butowicz, Kelsey Hardaway, Melinda Gutierrez, Kai Coble, Darrel Lutton and Macklin Hamilton.
“My Job Corps experience was amazing. For anyone coming into Job Corps, remember it might get stressful and you might have hurdles to jump; but if you keep going and don’t give up, you will have a great experience at Job Corps.”
Jared graduated from Cascades Job Corps and earned his associate degree in computer science from Skagit Valley College, all for free, with no tuition to pay or any debt. He even received a direct transfer agreement (DTA) in computer science. This means he could be admitted into a school that was in the transfer agreement immediately. And that’s just what he did.
Jared enrolled in the University of Washington–Tacoma to study computer science. He continues to stay in contact with his Job Corps mentors. Jared recently earned the Transfer Merit Scholarship for his GPA and was nominated for the Lewis Award, Yates Award and President’s Medal for his achievements at Skagit Valley College.
“It definitely is helpful to have the skills from what I did there [Job Corps] to help with everything going on now [obtaining bachelor’s degree in computer science at University of Washington–Tacoma].”
Jared is succeeding at the University of Washington–Tacoma and is on track to receive his bachelor’s degree in computer science in spring 2023.
“When I first started Job Corps, I would have never guessed I would be where I am now—from the struggles to the successes—I never thought I would be here, but I advocated for myself and pushed myself to my limits.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: 2021 Employer: College Student; University of Washington Tacoma; Tacoma, Washington Hometown: currently living in Kent, Washington; originally from Winter Springs, Florida Phone: 407-620-3976 Email: Pinesjared@gmail.com Submitted by: Becca Sweredoski Notes:
Source: Macklin Hamilton, Business & Community Liaison, 360-854-2145