Katelynn Alpaugh juggled motherhood and COVID-19 during her Job Corps journey.
“My experience was a lot different from what I expected but in a good way.”
She initially began training at Wilmington Job Corps in 2019 and graduated in 2022 after completing distance learning during the pandemic. The road to success was not easy, but she powered through.
After graduating from high school, Katelynn spent time working at Subway and eventually became a stay-at-home mom. She knew she needed more—for herself, for her family. Katelynn learned about Job Corps from her cousin and a family friend, who had also attended Job Corps. They both had positive experiences inside and outside of the classroom, so she decided to attend.
Katelynn traveled an hour and a half by bus every day to Wilmington Job Corps to achieve her dreams.
When COVID-19 hit, Katelynn transferred to online learning, which was challenging especially because she had a second child by then. When she returned to campus, she continued to train in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program and began traveling off-campus to a local community college, Delaware Tech, that partnered with Job Corps for the CNA program.
Before she graduated from Job Corps, the staff assisted her in finding an apartment, and they supported her with securing a job. Currently, Katelynn works at Laurel Senior Living Community. She uses all the skills she gained at Job Corps, including effective communication skills, multitasking and interpersonal skills, in addition to the skills she learned in her training area.
Her advice to students?
“Stay focused and push through. Don’t engage with any distractions as much as you can.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: 2022 Employer: Laurel Senior Living Community Phone: 302-465-1868 Email: katelynnalpaugh@yahoo.com Submitted by: Grace Reed Notes:
Source: Rhonda D. Austin, Business Engagement Specialist, 302-563-5834, Austin.Rhonda@jobcorps.org