Success Stories!

Making Work Count

David Diaz

" I am very thankful that I was able to be a part of the Career Institute's summer youth program because I finally got to work and get experience. Now I am going through the process of getting hired at the Ontario Airport! I loved this experience- it taught me the meaning of hard work and when your job is done right, you will be rewarded. Thank you to my supervisors at ATS at the Ontario Airport. They were the first people to ever employ me. I have learned so much from physical labor (lots of lifting and organizing) and the value of keeping a timely schedule. Working also taught me the value of a dollar. I would like to thank my Career Mentor, Joe Taylor, for believing in me enough and helping me succeed in finding and keeping a job AND checking up on me to make sure I was doing well. These opportunities don't come around very often and its a savior for people like me who have never had the chance to gain work experience. I'm glad I was able to participate and hope the Career Institute has another program like this and maybe it will give another person the same encouragement and the happiness it gave me, Thank you! Thank you for helping my family and me in our time of need and trusting people enough to give a lot higher salary that minimum wage"


Mayra Gallardo

"I would like to thank my Career Mentor, Louanne White, for her support through the program and positive words of encouragement. She always brought a smile to my face and made my day to see her and when she monitored my work at reRubber. Thank you for matching my skills, my potential learning and personality with the employer- it worked great for both of us! I was hired full time at reRubber as an administrative assistant. My responsibilities include managing/keeping track of multiple tasks, prioritizing and small projects. I would like to thank the Career Institute for their support and having this kind of program to help youth gain work sills, counseling support and helping find a career path."


Gina Raymondi
This program is AWESOME! It provided me a very good learning environment with a lot of great people to learn from. I learned how to handle children and what it takes to run a day care center. I plan to attend San Bernardino Valley Community College to study teaching. I want to thank my Career Mentor for everything she taught me and her guidance as well as the Career Institute for this opportunity. Thank you for the job! I really needed it and it helped out a lot!"



WIA program Success Stories


Andrea Blair

As the mother of a two year old, Andrea Blair has overcome many obstacles in her life.  Andrea has done an amazing job at not letting her past determine her future.

She successfully enrolled in the 2009 Summer Youth Employment Program and began working at Kohl's where she was later offered permanent employment. While working at Kohl's she showed up everyday on time, dressed appropriately and maintained a positive attitude toward other employees. In addition to completing 180 hours of Work Experience she successfully completed the Work Readiness material that helped her develop a professional resume and gain a set of “soft skills” that she applied everyday at work.

 After completing the summer program, Andrea enrolled into the Career Institute’s year round program and has been a shinning star since day one. Before enrolling in the year round program, Andrea was already attending Chaffey College and working on her Office Management Certificate, and Administrative Assistant Certificate just to name a few.

Andrea meets with her Career Mentor every week despite her busy schedule as a mom and full time student. In addition to completing her certificates at Chaffey College, Andrea has decided to sign up for the Customer Service Certificate course offered by the Career Institute. 

Andrea values education and has recently post tested proficient in both reading and math.

After hearing Andrea’s story and knowing of her struggles, she is the best example of someone who is self-motivated and working towards a great future for herself and her son. 


Cheyenne Rogers

Cheyenne Rogers is a Youth Advocate for Career Institute in the High Desert/Barstow office.  She is a second year student at Barstow Community College.  She enrolled in the Career Institute summer 2009 WIA program.   During this summer she worked as a concurrent- enrollment peer counselor.  This job included duties such as preparing high school students to attend college while in high school, giving campus tours, taking students through the enrollment process and youth advising.  Through this job opportunity given by Career Institute, Cheyenne was able to acquire the skills necessary to become a Youth Advocate for Career Institute in the fall semester of 2009. Becoming a Youth Advocate allows Cheyenne to prepare for her career as a counselor or therapist.  She is currently a social science major and will be graduating in May 2010 with an Associate of Arts in Social Science. After graduation, she plans to transfer to Southern New Hampshire University where she will study Psychology.

Career Institute has given Cheyenne the opportunity to expand her experience in the counseling and youth advising field.  She is now prepared to take the next step in her life. Cheyenne is confident that the Psychology field is what she wants to study. She thanks Career Institute for giving her the opportunity to be a Youth Advocate and begin working in the field related to her career goals.


Monique Villalobos

Monique Villalobos has been in the Career Institute Program for the year 2008-2010. She enrolled in the Baldyview ROP Pharmacy Tech Program where she was a top student in the class. She obtained her certificate on August 8, 2008. During the program, Monique completed the required Life Skill Projects in a timely manner.  She went above and beyond what was needed on the projects.

Monique was a participant in the Summer Youth Work Program for the 2009 summer. As she had her Pharmacy Tech License, the Career Institute placed her in a pharmacy job.  This employer was a new company starting out in the home health division. Monique set up the entire front office and helped set up the pharmacy lab where the prescriptions were filled. During the worksite monitoring visits, Monique always got superior marks from her employer. When the summer program ended, Monique was hired on by her employer.Monique is a pleasure to work with and the Career Institute staff has enjoyed working with her. She always has a smile on her face and is a very hard worker. We have no doubt that Monique will have a very successful future.

Miranda Cameron

Miranda Cameron, eighteen years old, is currently enrolled in a Certified Nursing Assistant program at the San Bernardino Adult School.  This, she says, is only her first step on her career path to eventually becoming a Nurse Anesthetist.  Prior to enrolling herself in school, Miranda worked at UPS, Premier Loan Services and Wendy’s, where she earned the minimum wage.  After realizing that without education she was limited in her employment opportunities, Miranda made the conscience decision of taking her future into her own hands.  However, as the mother of a fourteen month old child, Miranda was faced with the challenge of having to choose between caring and providing for her son and attending school.  Miranda came to the Career Institute in December of 2009 with a desire to improve her life, and since her matriculation into the Career Institute Miranda has been very proactive in her career development.  By completing Life Skill Projects weekly Miranda is making a significant effort to cultivate the skill set necessary for obtaining employment.  Miranda has made it very clear that she will not allow any obstacles to deny her the attainment of a better life.  Today Miranda is a month away from earning her Certificate as a Nursing Assistant and works for Addus Healthcare. 

Nichole Gilbert

Motivation is a key component to anyone’s success. Having the right type of positive re-enforcement can change anyone’s life for the best.  For Nichole Gilbert, motivation came later in her life, but if it weren’t for her strong personality and determination to find opportunities, she probably could have had a different outcome.

At first glance, Nichole appears to be the typical All-American girl having graduated from High School and moved on to college. However, college was not always an accessible goal for her. Nichole had struggled with school to the point that she was turned over to a continuation school. This was very devastating for her since she always perceived continuation schools as a place for people that were going nowhere in life and this was their last grasp for a successful life. Nichole was wrong.  She quickly discovered that the only person limiting her success in life was herself.  Being placed at the continuation school was a wake-up call to redefine who she was going to be in life. Nichole reached out her hands for the first time and was surprised to find that someone was on the other end waiting to pull her up.  In no time, Nichole went from being a failing student to an honor student through the help of dedicated teachers and staff. She learned about the Career Institute in her senior year, and having learned the lesson about reaching out for opportunities, she was enrolled into the 2009 Summer Work Experience program.

The Career Institute offered Nichole the opportunity to nurture her passion for education and teaching by working for the High School. Through that experience, she was able to feel confident in challenging situations, learn how to work with other professionals, and finally overcome her fear of operating office equipment. This newfound confidence supported her in enrolling into Chaffey Community College and working towards an apprenticeship through their Child Development Center to earn her teacher permit. Taking all her experiences into consideration, Nichole Gilbert is an exemplary example of the success self-motivation, education, and opportunities can do for a young adult. 

 

Edgar Lopez
He’s soft-spoken, kind of shy, but lights up when someone broaches a subject he’s excited about.  Right now he’s excited about being the first in his family to attend college.
Edgar Lopez participated in the Career Institute summer program, working on landscape maintenance at a Sports Camp in Big Bear for the Parks and Recreation Dept.  While there he received highest reviews for performance, and was constantly being complemented for his hard work and positive attitude.  Edgar completed the Work Experience packet as well, receiving the $200 bonus and the surprise award, a mini laptop computer.  At summer’s end, Edgar enrolled in the Career Institute year round program to pursue his dream of becoming a Sheriff.  He had previously participated in the Sheriff Department’s Explorer program and very much desired to work towards law enforcement as a career.  Since no one in his family had attended college before, he wasn’t sure college was for him.  However, with some encouragement and direction from his Career Mentors, Edgar enrolled in his first law enforcement classes at Victor Valley College, where he is currently attending.  He is having a great experience so far, and is looking to receive his first certificate in that program this May.

Kyle Rose

Kyle Rose enrolled and participated in the 2009 Summer Youth Work Experience. He was hired to work in Lake Arrowhead at the Belgian Waffle Works restaurant and completed his 180 Work Experience hours with a glowing report from his employers.  Kyle was actually hired on after the program completed to continue his work there.

He was accepted into the Career Institute year round program in September of 2009.  Kyle has since completed his EMT certification from Crafton Hills College.  He is waiting to take his state certification test (which was postponed due to weather). He will then be pursuing a career with the fire department.

Kyle is a very motivated young man. He is polite, respectful and responds quickly when asked to do so.  He takes his life and goals seriously and does what he needs to do to accomplish his plans.  The Career Institute has no doubt that Kyle will have a very successful future.

Jose Carreno (in his own words)

My name is Jose Carreno. I am 20 years old and the oldest of six siblings in my family. My father wasn’t really there while we were growing up and my mother has been working nearly two jobs at a time to support our family. I enjoy spending time with my family, joking and playing around with my younger siblings. As much as I love them, they bring joy to my life and help me maintain a positive outlook on things. I am proud having graduated high school and currently attending college for contrary to belief most people would have expected me to be a failure.

I would like to continue college and hopefully if God allows it I would like to see me receive my AA Diploma sometime in the near future.  My lifetime goal would be to someday be a student at UCLA. I know it will not be an easy task but I believe if I stay focused enough and with the help of your amazing staff at the Career Institute I would be able to achieve this someday. I am currently taking courses that qualify for the IGETC transfer program; a program that with the completion of required courses can guarantee admittance into any Cal State or University of California institution. Mentor: Terry Stedman

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