As she is a hands-on learner, learning remotely during the pandemic was one of Kyla Turner’s greatest challenges. She was ready to get back to campus as soon as possible and learn hands-on, surrounded by peers and instructors again. Once she was back to campus, Kyla learned the ins and outs of her training program, […]
Female
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 […]
Abiona Jones
“In that moment of my life, I desperately needed a place like Job Corps.” Abiona Jones was a new mother experiencing homelessness. Her late father’s family reached out to Abiona offering to help raise her child and put a roof over their heads. After four months of living with family, Abiona found herself in a […]
Alexia Boston
Alexia Boston was determined to create a life she loved for herself and her two children. She dreamed of going to college after high school and becoming a doctor, but life didn’t work out as she expected. After years of working part-time retail jobs to make ends meet for her family, Alexia felt her dreams […]
Kasandra Miranda
Kasandra Miranda was no stranger to setting high expectations for herself when she first arrived at Cassadaga Job Corps Center in March 2020. Before she even set foot on campus, she had taken bold steps to improve her life by getting sober at 23. She wouldn’t get to begin her program in earnest until September […]
Joselin Sanchez Guarneros
Nurses like Joselin Sanchez Guarneros help save lives every day. But before she got to where she is today, she was the one who needed help. “I was going down a bad path that involved alcohol and just not caring about my well-being,” Joselin said. “Job Corps saved me from me.” She first heard about […]
Jamaya Troupe
Jamaya Troupe says that one of her proudest moments as a Job Corps student was the day her instructor her asked her to cook lunch for a group of 100 children. The kids attended a school close to New Haven Job Corps Center in Connecticut, where Jamaya was studying Culinary Arts. “That was my first […]
Jayra Polanco
Whether she’s drawing blood from patients or helping with the emergency department at the hospital, Jayra Polanco is consistently using the skills she learned at Northlands Job Corps to make a difference in people’s lives. Jayra was born in Brooklyn and attended Fair Haven Union High School in Vermont. After graduating from high school, she […]
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 […]
Lora Williams
When Lora Williams saw a commercial for Job Corps in 2000, she felt called to dial the number on the screen. “It was a pretty abnormal thing for me to do,” Lora said. “I didn’t think anything would come of it, I just thought I might as well try.” Lora was 16 years old at […]