My Start with the Jump on Board for Success (JOBS) Program:
Before the JOBS Program, I was headed down a pretty self-destructive path. Although I didn’t have a lot of guidance at home, my family still had opinion of what my life should look like.
When I was presented with the opportunity to work with the JOBS Program, I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose, so I tried it. I started working with Jesse.
I was going into my junior year, working on my LNA through the tech center, but was slowly realizing that burnout could become very real at a young age with my career choice.
Late into my senior year, I told Jesse that I didn’t want to be an LNA. I shared that I really wanted to go to cosmetology school. Jesse never questioned me, he was incredibly supportive, quickly shifted gears, and helped me peruse a new career path. The morning of my graduation, I changed my announcement from going to school to become an LNA, to going to cosmetology school.
The JOBS Program continued to provide support while I was in school. They helped pay for my cosmetology kit, textbooks, and so much more. There were times when I would be having a conversation with Jesse, and he would say “we can help with that” and it would always be something I never even thought to ask for help with.
Now, my time is coming to end with the JOBS Program. I have my cosmetology license and am working at a Salon as a hairdresser. I’m steadily gaining clientele, and I am close to making commission.
My advice for anyone who is thinking about connecting with JOBS:
Your future is your hands. No matter what my family thought my future should look like, I knew what I wanted, and I was the one that needed to make it happen.