Gavin Walden’s life in Winchester, KY before Job Corps was crumbling. He was 16 years old, removed from the public school system, facing truancy in homeschool, and being lured into the easy money of the “street life” as he refers to. Nothing was going right in his life, he was getting into fights, doing drugs, had no formal education, and no good direction for his life. Walden joined the Job Corps program after seeing an ad on social media and admits today that it was the best decision he ever made for himself. From the beginning of the program in Career Preparation Period, his long term goal was to join the military. However, Walden struggled in Math literacy and could not score high enough to pass the ASVAB military entrance test. Job Corps gave Gavin a healthy daily routine filled with education and recreational opportunities. He studied hard in his high school, reading, math, and ASVAB courses and credits his success to the caring instructors at Carl D. Perkins. During his time at Job Corps from January 2019-January 2020 Walden completed his High school diploma, the Facility Maintenance trade, earned his OSHA-10, NCCER, and HPIP credentials, and was able to increase his ASVAB score to surpass the military entrance requirements. Walden was also involved in Leadership opportunities on center serving as the Vice President of Student Government Association, Sergeant at Arms in his dorm wing, and a recreation leader. “The education and experience I received from Job Corps is immeasurable” Walden proclaims. Walden recently swore his oath of enlistment to the Marine Corps on March 27, he is currently working at McDonald’s while awaiting his ship date to a 13 week boot camp at Parris Island, SC on May 13, 2020. Walden applauds the Job Corps program and states that his life has changed in more positive ways than he can count. He no longer feels uneducated, or less than, he has new meaning and purpose for his life, and he is now in an honorable position to serve his country. From all of us at Carl D. Perkins: Congratulations Gavin Walden on your accomplishments and Thank You for your service.