Tyrek Swanigan went from being mentored to dedicating his career to mentoring and helping youth—a full-circle moment inspired by one of his Job Corps work-based learning experiences and one of his first jobs.
At IndyPendence Job Corps, Tyrek spread his positivity throughout campus as the Spirit King. He worked with the leadership team to make changes on campus and worked with the student body to be a voice for others. Tyrek was also involved with SGA.
He appreciated the support Job Corps offered. Tyrek knew that, if he ever had a workload issue, he would be supported by the counselors. He also had a great mentor, Katrina Hobson, who was a Job Corps teacher.
“Job Corps is not for people who aren’t ready. You have to be ready. You have to be driven.”
During his time at Job Corps, Tyrek stayed busy with his Certified Nurse Assistant training, two work-based learning experiences, extracurriculars and his coursework to receive his high school diploma. His experience exceeded his expectations.
“Keep going. Don’t stop. Stay focused. Get to know people. That is going to make your experience better. The more people you know, the more connections you have to make your experience a lot better.”
One of his work-based learning experiences, working in the nurse’s office at Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School, inspired Tyrek. He knew he wanted to work with youth in the future. His other work-based learning experience was at American Village, part of the American Senior Community network. Tyrek was on the rehab floor gaining great experience and continued this job after graduation.
Tyrek then enrolled in nursing school at Ivy Tech Community College, and also accepted a job at KIPP Indy Public Schools as their behavior support coordinator. Through this experience with KIPP, Tyrek’s entire outlook changed. He realized he wanted to go to school for social work and family trauma. The pieces were coming together from his experience at Job Corps working with youth, to now discovering his passion.
Tyrek transitioned to work for Freewheelin’ Community Bikes, a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis serving low-income youth. Tyrek is a full-time college student at Ivy Tech Community College working on his associate degree in social work and taking advanced classes that are completed in eight weeks instead of 16 weeks. He also works full time at Freewheelin’ Community Bikes. Job Corps helped him prepare and gain the necessary time management skills to be successful.
In March 2021, Tyrek was promoted to director of Programs. He leads a dedicated team in programming that impacts youth science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). His focus is on social emotional learning and sound-based projects. Tyrek is passionate about working with youth who need the extra push.
“Despite your ZIP code or where you’re from or your previous behavioral experiences, this is a new start. How can we better support you to move you forward? That is what I try to focus on the most.”
After his associate degree, Tyrek is planning to complete his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Tyrek is on a successful path, and the only thing he wishes he’d known sooner was about the Job Corps program so he could have signed up even earlier. Tyrek’s experience helped him become the person he is today.
Graduated from Job Corps in: October 2018 Employer: Director of Programs; Freewheelin' Community Bikes; Indianapolis, Indiana Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana Phone: 317-909-1503 Email: tyrekswan@gmail.com Submitted by: Becca Sweredoski Notes:
Source: Center e-mail