In September 2016, Angelus Imaniriho moved to the United States at 20 years old. Before leaving his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angelus was in a refugee camp. Moving to the United States presented several challenges for Angelus. For one, he was in 11th grade back home, but in the United States […]
Region 5: Chicago
Tyrek Swanigan
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 […]
Rashaad Smith
Originally from Natchez, Miss., Rashaad Smith stumbled upon Job Corps after searching the internet for job opportunities. He had never heard of Job Corps before but was intrigued by the program and the free training. After graduating from high school in 2013, Rashaad was doing temporary work. He worked at a Walmart distribution center and […]
Nicholas Hassel
“Just last year, I was sleeping on friends’ couches, and even worse I ended up homeless living in a homeless shelter. That’s when I realized I needed a career that would change my life.” Nicolas Hassel had become homeless in 2019 and was seeking a different future. He didn’t have many options but knew he […]
Mikki McGill
“My life has not been a straight journey. Job Corps was certainly a help up. It helped me become a productive citizen and a productive person.” It was in the 1990s that Mikki McGill found herself living in the city of Chicago very much down on her luck. “I had flunked out of college, but […]
Cia-Simone Newell
Cia-Simone Newell was ready for a change. On March 5, 2019, she arrived at the Cleveland Job Corps Center to study Building Construction Technology. She had previously graduated from Bedford High School and was excited to pursue additional education. Cia-Simone was ready to train hard and wasted no time earning credentials in Building Construction Technology, […]
Joe Collins
Joe Collins was eager for opportunity. Joe graduated high school but had no desire to attend college right away. After hearing about Job Corps through a family friend that was planning to attend, Joe researched the program and was enticed by learning a trade and receiving free training all while getting paid. “Why not go?” […]
Antonio Forston
Before coming to Job Corps, Antonio Forston was homeless. He found himself running with a bad crowd after aging out of foster care, and a friend suggested that he look into Job Corps as a means to make something of himself. Originally, Antonio was only interested in joining so that he could get his driver’s […]
Inglan Thomas
Make it happen. This is the motto Inglan Thomas lives by and what motivates him to push past barriers both big and small. Because of this mindset, Inglan went from not having the grades to get into community college or the military to where he is now, only a few courses away from graduating with […]
Isaiah Amill
A high school dropout, Isaiah Amill was struggling to figure out what he wanted in life and what career goals to pursue. Then, he heard about Job Corps from his sister, a 2010 Home Health Aide graduate of the program. “My sister loved the program,” Isaiah explained. “She encouraged me to attend and told me […]