Elijah Lamon, 19 year old student from Jacksonville FL, came to Perkins Job Corps in August, 2015. Elijah stated that when he was home he was not doing anything with his life, he stayed in the house mostly and didn’t like big crowds. He also stated that he didn’t have any independent living skills that he depended on his family for everything. But this all changed after he came to Perkins. Elijah admitted it wasn’t easy at first, as he had never been away from home especially this far. He begin training in the security and protective services program and working on his high school diploma. Elijah, soon found a new confidence after he got over his homesickness and fear of change. He excelled in his trade and academic classes, while also becoming a student leader on campus. Elijah only needed a few credits to complete his high school and worked hard in his trade. He attended many community events where he gave up a lot of his own time on Saturdays and after hours to volunteer for them.

Elijah stated that coming to Job Corps not only helped him obtain his high school diploma and training, but it taught him about life and how to be independent. He got his driver’s license, learned about budgeting, how to open up a bank account and interacting with others. He stated he has learned and grown as a person so much since being in the program. This is what led him to be able to obtain a security job back in his home in Jacksonville, FL. Not only will he be working at what he trained for, he will be working at Terry Parker High school, the same school that he left in his Junior year. Elijah said he is very excited to be back at the school to see his teachers and show them what he has accomplished through hard work.