Melinda Richardson, who graduated from the Charleston Job Corps Center in November 2015, has worked for the past five years as a certified nursing assistant, CNA at Highland House Rehabilitation & Healthcare in Fayetteville, NC.

Additionally, she is in school to further her medical training as a medical technician and is juggling work and school with caring for her 3 years old daughter.
Richardson attributes much of her success to the training she received at Charleston Job Corps.

“Job Corp was really tough at first, with so many rules to follow,” Richardson recalled. However, it made me a better person.” The North Carolina native admitted that she had to step out of her comfort zone to bolster the courage to travel to West Virginia on her quest to become an independent, self-sufficient adult. “This was the best decision I made,” Richardson noted, in addition to the job training, Charleston Job Corps provided her with a large support base of friends and staff members who served as mentors.

Her encouragement for current and future Job Corps students is: “Always remember there is light at the end of the tunnel and graduating Job Corps with something behind your name is going to be one of the best moments in your life. So do the right thing and FOCUS.”