Originally from Lakeside and Temecula, CA Chelsea now lives in Victorville, CA where she is employed at General Atomics. She works on the manufacturing of U.S. military Predator U.A.V. drones.

Chelsea enrolled in Job Corps in May of 2010 after health issues forced her to make some unexpected changes in her life. “I had some health issues (Lungs collapsed 4 times over a period of 2 years) which really set me back and I didn’t have a back-up plan. No training and no secure work. I needed that security in my life, and I wanted to be able to stand on my own two feet, Job Corps was my road to the light.”

With the help of her grand parents, Chelsea looked to Job Corps to gain training and education so she could secure a job. “I wanted very much to learn how to be responsible on my own and how to apply that to living my life in a better light. I just wanted to get out of the black hole I was in.”

After Career Preparation, Chelsea had planned on going into the health occupations field; but ultimately decided to enroll in the Composites advanced training program after reading about it on a flier on campus. “The possibility of working for NASA or with the military had been a dream I had for a long time. I was lucky to get into the program and I took to it very quickly.”

Chelsea credits the student diversity at Clearfield Job Corps with opening her eyes to the rest of the world. “I learned so much about the reality of life while at Clearfield Job Corps. When a person is surrounded by the diversity of people and cultures at Clearfield, it’s a real eye opener. There are people from just about everywhere on earth, which was way cool!”

When asked about life on campus and some of her favorite things about Clearfield Job Corps Chelsea says, “I loved the early morning schedule they kept us on. It made it easier for me to get excited for school. I learned responsibility for my actions, good and bad. The trade skills I learned set me up for life. I can only grow from here, and I will never stop reaching. I know the staff at Clearfield Job Corps are really dedicated to each individual students needs, they will not give up and they push you until the very end to be and do your best. My Dorm, T-North, had an amazing staff. They helped me through the hard times and I will be forever grateful. In Career prep, the teachers were the most helpful. They saw something in me and they encouraged me so much. I will forever thank them for that. Clearfield Staff rocks!”

Chelsea finished her career technical training with the goal of securing a job in the aerospace industry, a goal she has recently achieved. But she isn’t stopping there. Chelsea goes on to say, “My future is still being written in the stars. That is where I am aiming. The sky is not the limit in this case. I want things I build to reach beyond the stars. NASA is still a far reach for me; but Working in industry and with a great company, as I am now, will lead me there someday.”

Chelsea’s advice for all students is to reach for the stars. “It doesn’t matter how dark anyone’s life was before. I was in the darkest pits of despair and I fought to come out on top. Everyone has a past, but you learn from it. You take that pain, or sorrow, or even joy, and you turn it into the fire and drive to make something of yourself. It is never to late. If I can do it, so can you!”