Nicole Gonzalez is a top notch 21-year-old Carpentry student with a strong work ethic and terrific customer service skills. She began her training at Job Corps in May of 2015 with her high school diploma, and fully intended to enroll in one of the medical trades. Out of curiosity, she chose to spend a portion of her hands-on time in Carpentry and immediately knew it was the right fit for her. As someone who loves to stay busy, be creative, and work with her hands, she enjoyed the projects and the atmosphere. She also recognized that working as a carpenter would be a great way to help pay for college tuition.

At first she was intimidated by being in a trade that was predominantly male, but not anymore. She was immediately welcomed to the team and jumped in ready to work – a great attitude to have in any workplace.

Before Job Corps, she held mostly customer service jobs. “If I hadn’t come to Job Corps,” she said, “I would be working a job I didn’t really like and probably be unhappy.”

Almost complete in trade, Nicole received a letter of recommendation from her trade instructors and is hoping to get a job with UBC. During her time at Job Corps, she volunteered to build bird houses with young burn victims at Camp Phoenix. She also participated in the Women in Trades club on center. She is most proud of her work building a play house to be donated for a local charity auction.

Nicole has aspirations to become a psychologist. She wants to attend the University of Washington to complete her schooling all the way to earn a PhD.