Jasmine Randolph was driven by the need to succeed in the medical field and return home to Petersburg, VA to help her autistic brother, and with that goal in mind, Randolph joined the Blue Ridge Job Corps “Village” on June 9, 2015. Although she had a High School diploma, she didn’t feel it was enough to help her family. She was tired of watching her mother struggle to make ends meet, so she decided to follow in her older sister Antoinette’s footsteps and attend Blue Ridge Job Corps Center.
Met by a few obstacles as she tried to get acclimated to this new way of liv-ing, her strong commitment to family enabled her to step up and go beyond what was expected of her so she could reach her goals. “It wasn’t always easy, and adjusting to being in a residential environment with all females was chal-lenging,” she acknowledged. “But my future is more important than the strug-gle.” Randolph began to study more, focus on the path in front of her and be supportive of other students.
During her enrollment, she earned her Health Insurance & Portability Act (HIPAA), CPR & First Aid, Healthcare Provider (Basic Life Support, AED), Home Health Aide and Certified Nursing Assistant certifications, as well as her driver’s license. Randolph recalled the presentation she did on autism and the accolades she received from the entire student body, as one of her most cherished moments at Blue Ridge Job Corps. She stated, “It felt awesome be-cause I felt God gave me the mission to tell the school about autism, and I came through.” Her advice to new students is to focus on your work, stay out of trouble and keep pushing on.
Randolph returned home to Petersburg, VA in July, where she is gainfully em-ployed with PCG Public Partnership. An agency that specializes in providing in-home care to patients. Through her employer, Randolph is able to provide direct in-home care to her brother. “My brother has always been the highlight of my life,” says Randolph. Family is very important to Randolph and her brother has been her inspiration for the past four years. Determined to make the world a better place, Randolph plans to continue her education and be-come an Occupational Therapy Assistant or Speech Therapist. “Helping peo-ple gain their independence is what it is all about, and in the meantime, I will continue to gain mine,” declared Randolph.