A Job Corps experience so nice, he did it twice! When Xavier Edwards graduated from high school in Charlotte, N.C., he was looking for a more cost-effective education path than college. His mom did some research and introduced him to Job Corps. Xavier moved to Brevard, N.C., and completed the Culinary Arts program at Schenk Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center.
“It was just what I needed at the time.”
He learned all the basics of working in a kitchen from trained chefs, along with several important lessons, such as how to persevere through difficult tasks and how to appreciate the little things in life.
After Xavier completed his training, he decided to continue his education and hands-on training and enrolled in Advanced Culinary Arts at Treasure Island Job Corps, all the way across the country in San Francisco. Thankfully, the transition was easy with the help of Schenck Job Corps CCC staff, who helped him find a job in California.
As a student in Advanced Culinary Arts, Xavier took specific courses that delved deeper into his field. He also learned about running a restaurant, including the business, financial and customer-facing aspects.
Xavier is now working at Red Window, a well-known Spanish-style restaurant in San Francisco. The staff at Treasure Island helped him find an apartment and his secondary job: assisting a DJ with event setup. In the future, he would love to spend time working as a celebrity’s personal chef and eventually open a restaurant.
Xavier’s aiming to reach his goals the same way he did when his classes got tough: “Focus on the task at hand, stay on the grind, and look up to the other successful Job Corps graduates.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: August 2019, January 2021 Employer: Cook, Red Window, San Francisco Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Phone: 704-787-2756 Submitted by: Kiran Wheeler Notes:
Source: Susan Ber, Ber.Susan@jobcorps.org