Success Stories
Three Muhlenberg Job Corps Grads Soar High with New Employment
Former Muhlenberg Job Corps students, Sean Anderson, Steven Longstreet, and Brendan Mattison, are soaring high in the employment world after graduation.
Sean Anderson entered Muhlenberg Job Corps with his GED and completed the Job Corps program in February 2012. During his fifteen months at our center, Sean completed the Heavy Equipment Operators training. He also took some additional construction equipment mechanics classes. Sean enlisted with the U.S. Army on February 27, 2012, and was just recently promoted to a higher rank.
Steven Longstreet spent nineteen months at Muhlenberg Job Corps where he earned his high school diploma and completed Welding training. He then entered the Advanced Training program at Excelsior Springs Job Corps in Missouri. After completion of his advanced training, he took a job with Amtrak as a rail car repairer. Steven recently enrolled in Amtrak's Conductors class.
Brendan Mattison entered Muhlenberg Job Corps in August 2011 and completed his course of work on June 15, 2012. While at our center, he obtained his high school diploma and the Construction Equipment Mechanics course. A few short months after graduation, Brendan enlisted with the U.S. Army to serve his country.
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Conducts December Graduation
Muhlenberg Job Corps conducted a graduation ceremony on Tuesday, December 18, 2012, with nine students participating. Graduate Brian Rondon lead the Pledge of Allegiance, graduate Indonesia Carter delivered the graduate welcome, and Raven Cash was the graduate speaker.
Ms. Cash explained how Job Corps had turned her life around and made things better for her and her five-year-old son. She shared how just a few months ago she was working menial jobs and now had a chance at a good life with better wages.
Center Director Kenny Brown and Student Government President Rashaun Phelps passed out diplomas to all the graduates. Mr. Brown closed the commencement with the traditional tassel ceremony and a challenge to each graduate to be kind and work hard in life.
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Conducts September Graduation
Muhlenberg Job Corps held its September 2012 graduation with eight students participating. The Muhlenberg Military Club presented the colors, and graduate Prosperine Katonga led participants in the Pledge of Allegiance. Student Lauren Lafavor sang the National Anthem. Graduate Aaron Adkins extended a welcome to those in attendance. Graduate Icy Lang delivered the commencement address. She spoke of what Job Corps meant to her now, as opposed to what it was when she first arrived on campus. She detailed the changes the program made in her life. Center Director Kenny Brown and Student Government President RaShaun Phelps presented diplomas to the graduates. Director Brown closed the commencement with a few brief remarks and the traditional tassel ceremony.
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Graduate Visits the Campus
Tevin Campbell, a Muhlenberg Job Corps graduate, stopped by the Muhlenberg Job Corps Center to visit staff and current students on his way to Texas during one of his trips for Prime Trucking.
Campbell came to Muhlenberg Job Corps on August 23, 2010, and graduated August 5, 2011. He came to the Job Corps program from Austell, Georgia, with his high school diploma. While at Muhlenberg, Campbell completed Heavy Equipment Operators training and earned a Class B Commercial Driver's License (CDL). Center Director Kenny Brown, who served as Campbell's mentor, said, "Tevin was a great student who was focused on his goals."
After graduation, Campbell was blessed with the birth of a baby girl. Shortly afterward, he began working for Prime Trucking in Springfield, Missouri. He currently travels across the United States picking up and delivering cargo. Campbell said, "Job Corps helped me learn the routine of independent living skills I needed to succeed in life. Job Corps and my baby daughter helped me get focused on what is really important in life!"
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Student Lands Job at Carhartt Manufacturing
Yosef Keleta, a Muhlenberg Job Corps graduate, oozes with determination and the desire to succeed. Keleta, a native of Eritrea, a country on the Red Sea across from Yemen, lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia before coming to the United States to settle in Atlanta, Georgia. He signed up for Job Corps and eventually enrolled as a student at Muhlenberg Job Corps. Keleta, an exceptional student, showed the desire to learn and advanced in the program that offered him hope for the future. Even though he had to overcome a language barrier, he excelled in everything he attempted while a student at Muhlenberg.
Keleta enrolled at Muhlenberg Job Corps on December 6, 2010, and graduated on August 24, 2012. As a student at Job Corps, he obtained his high school diploma and technical training completions in the Medical Office Support and Heavy Equipment Operator trades. He obtained a work-based learning position with Electro-Cycle in Madisonville, Kentucky, while completing his training. Keleta's employiment at Electro-Cycle enabled him to save enough money to buy a car, pay insurance on the car, and pay his first month's rent on his apartment.
Keleta is now employed at Carhartt Manufacturing in Madisonville, Kentucky, as a forklift operator. He picks orders that are shipped to retail store outlets all across the United States. His job requires him to be hoisted 60 feet in the air to pick the orders that he is pre-assigned each night. Keleta earns a base salary and gets incentive pay for making production goals set by the company.
Keleta said, "Job Corps has provided me the training and education I needed to be successful in today's work world. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Job Corps program for all they have done for me the past two years. Job Corps is a great program and will work for any young person willing to work hard and take the program seriously." Kenny Brown, Muhlenberg Job Corps Center Director said, "Keleta has been a great student during his tenure at Muhlenberg. He is just one of many success stories the Job Corps program produces each year."
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Celebrates National Job Corps Commencement Day
Muhlenberg Job Corps celebrated National Job Corps Commencement Day by honoring nine graduates. Alfonza Hagan, 1982 Muhlenberg graduate, was the keynote speaker for the event. Hagan received his GED and heavy equipment operator's certificate while at Muhlenberg. He credited Muhlenberg Job Corps for turning his life around and helping him see the world through a different viewfinder. He challenged the graduates and current students to take advantage of what they learn in Job Corps and go out and be productive citizens. Hagan said, "Job Corps put me on the track to a wonderful life I have had the privilege to live."
Graduate Mikelle Cathey opened the ceremony with the Pledge of Allegiance. Brenttney Turner delivered the graduate welcome to the attendees. Graduate Antonio Jones gave an emotional commencement address while holding his two-year-old daughter. Jones spoke of how Job Corps had helped him and put him on the road to success. Mikelle Cathey, Andrew Crump, Samantha Daugherty, Antonio Jones, Michelle Marlow, Kaishaell Mayfield, Jackie Nichols, Brenttney Turner, and Patrice Walker were the graduates honored on this special day.
One hundred twenty-five Job Corps centers across the nation celebrated National Job Corps Commencement Day on August 24, 2012. The date was chosen in special recognition of the signing of the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The act gave birth to Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (now AmeriCorps VISTA), and the Job Corps program. Job Corps serves 60,000 youth each year and has had over two million graduates. Job Corps is the largest residential training program in the United States.
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Student Serving with AmeriCorps
Vanessa Ruff is a 22-year-old from Crawfordville, Georgia, who says she is "just trying to change lives." She is doing so in a big way through the AmeriCorps Program that she learned about while a student at the Muhlenberg Job Corps in Greenville, Kentucky.
While completing her trade in Medical Office Support, Ruff realized she did not know what she wanted to do with her life. She did know that she enjoyed working with people and after hearing about AmeriCorps believed it was something she could do. On February 27, 2012, Ruff began her time with AmeriCorps, and it has been "all about work" since she began.
On her first assignment, Ruff went to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she and her team helped rebuild homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She got to meet the people and hear their stories of the event that took their homes. There is always work to do, but she has also been able to enjoy some time in her travels. In New Orleans, she was able to attend the musical "The Lion King" and meet many different stars.
After New Orleans, Ruff traveled with her team to Saucier, Mississippi. Their task in Saucier was to assist a children's home. The team pruned trees, made birdhouses, and completed other landscaping work to beautify 100 acres of land. They also made signs and cleared bike trails so the children could ride their bikes. Their next stop was Virginia, where they laid new water pipes for a community that didn't have the money to pay for a contractor to do the work. All types of work are performed by the team: painting, building homes, working with kids, cutting grass, and hanging drywall.
"There are a lot of people that my team and I have touched through our work," Ruff stated. "AmeriCorps is a great program where you learn so many skills, get the chance to travel, and meet great people. My goal in life is to help as many people as I can, especially children." She is getting that chance on a daily basis through the AmeriCorps program.
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Graduate and Former Staff Member Visit Campus
Alfonzo Hagan, a 1982 graduate of Mulhlenberg Job Corps, paid a visit to the campus on Monday, July 2, 2012. Hagan obtained his GED and heavy equipment operator's certificate at Muhlenberg. After completing the Job Corps program, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve where he became a transport operator. When his tour of duty was complete with the U.S. Army Reserve, he became a deputy sheriff in Georgia. His job as a deputy sheriff led to a job as a Special Agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Hagan recently retired from the GBI and opened his own business, Central Georgia Polygraph, with offices in Savannah and Statesboro, Georgia.
Hagan was amazed by the changes that have taken place on the Mulhlenberg Job Corps campus since 1982. He said, "I came to Job Corps as a youth who did not trust anyone and thought everyone was against me. I finally came to the conclusion the people at the Job Corps in Muhlenberg do not know me why should they be against me!" He went on to say that Job Corps changed his life.
Accompanying Hagan on his visit was Alex Sutton, a former Mulhlenberg Job Corps employee. Sutton, currently living in Hopkinsville, was the first security officer hired at Muhlenberg and spent 17 years at the center. Sutton met Hagan at Mulhlenberg Job Corps and became a mentor to him. They have kept touch over the last 30 years. Hagan said he visits Sutton in Hopkinsville every few years, and they stay in contact by phone in between visits. During the visit, Sutton met many staff he had worked with during his tenure at the center. Hagan agreed to come back in the near future to speak at a graduation ceremony.
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Celebrates Graduation
Muhlenberg Job Corps Center celebrated its June 2012 graduation with seven students participating. Graduate Orlando Northington led the Pledge of Allegiance, Tanisha Jack delivered the graduate welcome, and Ashley Gilbert was the commencement speaker. Center Director Kenny Brown and Student Government Association President Jimmy Haley awarded the diplomas and led in the tassel ceremony. Gary Jones served as master of ceremonies. Muhlenberg Job Corps celebrates graduation each month except for July and December.
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Muhlenberg Student Awarded Scholarship to Berea College
Muhlenberg Job Corps student Solomon Tesfamichael has been awarded a four-year scholarship to attend Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, for the Fall term of 2012. The scholarship for tuition is valued at more than $100,000.
Tesfamichael enrolled at Muhlenberg in October 2010 where completed his high school diploma and was awarded certificates in Medical Office Support and Pharmacy Technology. After completing his Job Corps studies, he enrolled at Madisonville Community College. He currently has completed twenty eight college hours and is taking thirteen more hours during the Summer session. He earned a spot on the Dean's List for the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters.
At Berea, Tesfamichael plans to further his studies in the medical field. Gary Jones, Business and Community Liaison at Muhlenberg Job Corps said, "Solomon is a shining example of what a student can accomplish in the Job Corps program through hard work and dedication." Tesfamichael is the third Muhlenberg Job Corps student to attend Berea College in the last four years.
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Muhlenberg Powerlifting Team Wins Honors
Braun and muscle were on display at the recent powerlifting competition held at the Central City Fitness Center. Muhlenberg's team of seven students placed or won each division they entered. They competed against other area high school teams and individuals.
The team was made up of Darius Phillips, third place in the 160-189 pound division; Steven Official, second place in the 190-219 pound division; Adam Huntley, first place in the 130-159 pound division; Junior Cajuste, first place in the 190-219 pound division; Issac Estiverne, second place in the 130-159 pound division; and James Collins, first place in the 250 pounds plus division and overall competition winner as well. The team is coached by Cody Perry, Muhlenberg's recreation supervisor.
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Muhlenberg Student Enters Truck Driving School
"On the Road Again" was a popular song by Willie Nelson many years ago; that is what Darius Phillips will be singing in a few short weeks. Phillips has just completed his Job Corps experience at Muhlenberg and will be moving on to a career in the trucking industry with C.R. England Global Transport in Salt Lake City, Utah. C.R. England Global Trucking is the nation's largest refrigerated carrier with over 5,900 drivers.
Phillips has enrolled in the C.R. England Truck Driving School to obtain his Class A Commercial Drivers License. He earned his Class B CDL while a student at Muhlenberg Job Corps and his Level 3 Heavy Equipment Operator's certificate.
Phillips came to Muhlenberg Job Corps in April 2011 from Jacksonville, Florida, and obtained his high school diploma in December of the same year. Phillips said, "Job Corps offered me the opportunity to get my life back on track!" His future goal is to own his own tractor trailer truck and be an owner/operator. Phillips said his advice to students interested in Job Corps would be, "Stay focused on what you want to accomplish and do not let anyone or anything get in the way of accomplishing your goals."
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Muhlenberg Job Corps Students Garner Dean's List Honors
Muhlenberg Job Corps students, Daniel Abedi and Solomon Tesfamichael, earned Dean's List honors at Madisonville Community College for the Fall semester. Both students had to maintain a 3.5-or-better grade average in 100-level-or-above course work and complete at least 12 hours of credits to earn the top honors.
Abedi and Tesfamichael both completed Medcial Office Support and Pharmacy Technician career technical trades before entering college. Muhlenberg Job Corps maintains a close partnership with Madisonville Community College in order to provide advanced training to Job Corps graduates.
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Former Muhlenberg Job Corps Students Become Staff Members
Cristian Mancilla of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Jessica Howard of Corbin, Kentucky, entered the Job Corps program at Muhlenberg five years apart and never dreamed they would be working for the program that contributed so much to their lives. Mancilla came to Muhlenberg in 2004 and Howard in 2009 as students. Both completed their chosen trades: Mancilla, Security Officers Training and Pharmacy Technology; and Howard, Medical Office Support and Clinical Medical Assisting. After graduation, both went to Advanced Training programs to study how to be a residential advisor in a Job Corps setting.
Ironically, they both wound up where they had started their education - Muhlenberg Job Corps! Mancilla was hired in May 2006 as a residential advisor and has since accepted the job as Student Government Association advisor. Howard was hired in March 2011 as a residential advisor and has recently received a promotion in that area. Both say they are excited to be a part of the Muhlenberg staff and want to give back to a program that has given so much to them.
When asked, "What is the most rewarding part of your job?" They both replied confidently, "When students graduate and call back to tell you how they are doing. It is rewarding to hear what they have done with their lives after leaving Job Corps!" Kenny Brown, Center Director at Muhlenberg said, "Former students who come back to work in a Job Corps program have a good feel for what the current students are experiencing. They usually make good listeners and great Job Corps employees due to the fact they have been on both sides of the fence." Mancilla and Howard are open to what promotions may lay ahead within the Job Corps program. Mancilla, when asked what was his goal in Job Corps, replied with a big smile, "To be a center director of a Job Corps!"
Mancilla and Howard are shining examples of what can be accomplished in the Job Corps program with a little determination. Both say they want to be shining examples as staff members to the current students at Muhlenberg. They are off to a great start and are shining the light brightly for all current students who are looking for the path to a better life.
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Muhlenberg Student Obtains Job at Owensboro Municipal Utilities
David Baker came to Muhlenberg from eastern Kentucky wanting to develop his welding skills and obtain a good job after completing his training. David entered the Muhlenberg Job Corps on March 7, 2011. Seven months later, on October 3, 2011, David left the Job Corps program as a graduate with his welding certificate.
While at Muhlenberg Job Corps, David entered a training program at Titan Contracting in Owensboro, Kentucky, to enhance the skills he was learning on center. David worked forty hours a week while at Titan earning $8.00 an hour. After completing 10 weeks with Titan and finishing his Job Corps training, David was offered and accepted a job with Owensboro Municipal Utilities (OMU) for many more dollars per hour than he made as a Titan trainee. He is currently working 60 hours a week at OMU in maintenance.
Since graduation, David has not only landed a good job but has rented a place to live and bought a vehicle to drive to work. He credits the Job Corps program for helping him get a jump start in life. His long term goal is to get back to eastern Kentucky and obtain a job in the coal industry in that area. David is a prime example of what can be accomplished in the Job Corps program if you have a good work ethic and determination to be successful.
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Former Muhlenberg Job Corps Student Travels the World
An around the world journey for former Job Corps student, Jose Torres, began in Miami, Florida, back in 2004. On October 26, 2004, Torres left his home and family in Miami and traveled to Muhlenberg County to start his educational adventure at the Muhlenberg Job Corps in Greenville. Little did he know at that time, his life's adventures would include stops in Tokyo, Thailand, Nagasaki, and other areas on the continents of Asia and Europe.
Torres says the Job Corps program afforded him the chance to get his high school diploma, a career technical skill, and his driver's license. He fondly remembers his days at Muhlenberg and traveling with Nolyn Fueller and Jim Price on the Bike Club to multiple sclerosis fundraisers. Torres said, "I wasn't the best student in the world, but Job Corps' discipline helped me grow and reach my goals. It is a good program that helped jump-start my career. I will be forever grateful for what Job Corps did to help me meet wonderful people and have a nice standard of living." Torres' advice to current Job Corps students: "Be grateful, make the best of the situation you have been given, and use Job Corps as a stepping stone to make you a better person." Torres said, "I have traveled all over the world and have not come across a program like Job Corps anywhere; there is nothing like it!"
After completing his high school diploma and Business Technology trade at Muhlenberg in January 2006, Torres joined the United States Navy in the delayed entry program. While he waited to be inducted into the Navy, he worked as a marketing manager for some theaters in Miami. This was the beginning of what has become an exciting career opportunity for Torres. The call to the Navy came in December 2006. Torres says, "My time in the Navy afforded me the opportunity to travel to many places I had only dreamed of visiting in my lifetime." Torres served in the U.S. Navy as a boatswain's mate and traveled with the U.S. Seventh Fleet aboard the USS Essex all over the Pacific. He supervised maintenance of the ship's compartments, decks, deck machinery and equipment.
In November 2010, Torres completed his stint in the Navy and stayed in Japan to kick start his career in cover writing, photography, and fashion designing. Torres is twenty-five years old and currently holds an Associate of Arts in film. He will be moving to Italy in the near future to enroll in the European Institute of Design (EID). At EID, he will work on obtaining his Bachelor's Degree in photography, video, and fashion design. From Miami, Florida, to the Job Corps in Muhlenberg County, to Japan and on to Italy, it's been quite a ride for a young man who came to Job Corps just wanting to get his high school diploma and a skill and to make his life better.
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Page last updated:
Wednesday, March 06, 2013