Heidi Mann knew that there was something for her outside of her hometown in “middle of nowhere, Wyoming.” As much as she loved where she grew up, she knew she had to search for an education elsewhere in order to reach her full potential. When she was denied a scholarship to study sign language from […]
Region 6: San Francisco
Jared Pines
Jared Pines wasn’t getting anywhere with his job search. He was looking to further his education when a friend told him about Job Corps. Jared went to a Job Corps office and learned about the Cascades Job Corps Center. He had previously graduated from high school and was enticed by the opportunity to get a […]
Andie Beltran
Andie Beltran knew it was going to be tough. They had no prior experience with carpentry. But did that stop them? No. Andie swore in as a member of Local 1503 in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) in Portland, Ore., and is now a first term apprentice general carpenter earning $26 an hour. “Everyone […]
Robert Gagnon
Robert Gagnon wants to be the first Job Corps graduate to run for president. While he admits that it’s an ambitious goal, he feels confident about what he can achieve—thanks in part to how Job Corps helped him grow. Robert’s skills as a natural leader shone in his time at Gerald R. Ford Job Corps […]
Angel Leija
Families pass down all sorts of things, from kitchen recipes to career recommendations. Texas native Angel Leija got both from her family. Angel’s mother got her involved in the kitchen from a young age, but it was when she started selling breakfast tacos to her fellow high school students and was racking up dozens of […]
Jesus Buelna
“My life has made a full 360 after Job Corps. Job Corps worked for me.” Jesus Buelna moved out of his childhood home in Long Beach to live with his aunt in Hawthorne, Calif. He was new to the area and was struggling to maintain good grades in school. Jesus wasn’t certain school was the […]
Sydney Gingery
Sydney Gingery was known as the “silent kid” for a decade. She went to school and grew up with the same people who were in her second-grade elementary class, and only a select few knew what her voice sounded like. Her first few days at Cascades Job Corps changed all that. Sydney blossomed while enrolled […]
David Dressendorfer
When David Dressendorfer arrived at the Springdale Job Corps Center in Oregon, he hadn’t completed high school and was without a permanent residence. He was lost, but his mother’s fiancé told him about a program he had done as a young man also looking for direction—Job Corps. He left his hometown of Pocatello, Idaho, and […]
Christine Benzon
After a few semesters in college, Christine Benzon decided to stop pursuing higher education. It was a hard choice for her because the college track was what her family expected of her, but ultimately it was not making her happy. She knew she could be destined for great things. She just had to find how […]
Sara Shores
“I was living away from home and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My friend and I were living in a KOA [Kampgrounds of America] until it began snowing, and we each got low-wage jobs and an apartment. I was working in a restaurant during the day and hanging clothes […]