Shortly after starting his college career, Albert Martinez realized continuing the higher education route was going to be too expensive. Once he heard about Job Corps from a family friend, he couldn’t let the opportunity pass him by. Albert enrolled in the Carpentry program at Gary Job Corps in Texas with the dream of becoming […]
Region 3: Atlanta
Brad Roberts
Brad Roberts has served the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) for over 30 years and was recently recognized as the Park’s 2021 Employee of the Year. Originally from Winston-Salem, Brad started serving the GSMNP when he was 16 years old, and it all began with a move to Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center […]
Xavier Edwards
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 […]
Richard Doyle
Richard Doyle can proudly say he is an inaugural member of the Job Corps and Johnson & Johnson Vision (J&J) partnership. Richard has paved the way for future contact lens manufacturers as one of just three founding class members of the Advanced Manufacturing Production Technology training program at Jacksonville Job Corps. “I found Job Corps […]
Alex James
After graduating from high school, Alex James worked at Walmart, JCPenney and a Vietnamese restaurant. He quickly realized he wanted more out of life. He didn’t just want a job; he wanted a career. “I felt like I wasn’t living up to my full potential. I wanted to do something different and find something with […]
Sharon McLaurin Oliver
Sharon McLaurin Oliver enrolled at Batesville Job Corps Center (now Finch-Henry Job Corps Center) in Mississippi in September of 1988. She wanted to leave her small hometown and find opportunities to grow and start her own life. Sharon’s sister enrolled in Job Corps first. After watching her sister succeed and enjoy the program, she decided […]
Khalil Perry
Khalil Perry always had a drive to succeed and credits his family for his can-do attitude. His journey with Job Corps began in 2014 at Turner Job Corps Center in Georgia. He enrolled in the Electrical program but with his eyes set on eventually becoming an overhead lineman. After graduating, Khalil realized he wanted to […]
Justin Speight
“I decided I needed to get out of my comfort zone—go do something different or have a greater skill set and not just work at the same job and not be happy about it. So that’s why I went to Job Corps.” Justin Speight is a lube technician apprentice at Hubert Vester Toyota in Wilson, […]
Evan Etienne
Florida native Evan Etienne knew he wanted a better job than what he had, but he wasn’t sure what that job was or how to get it. That’s when he turned to Job Corps. At Miami Job Corps Center, Evan joined the Office Administration training program so he could learn the skills he would need […]
Philliecia Mack
“At first, I was like, ‘This is so stupid, why am I here?’ This is how I was thinking at 16 years old. But from the moment I arrived on campus, the Finch-Henry [Job Corps] community opened its arms to me, from fellow students to instructors, to cafeteria and dormitory staff; everyone accepted me for […]