Cleveland Job Corps Celebrates 2021 Graduates

To commemorate the fifty-one Cleveland Job Corps Center students who victoriously completed the program, the center hosted their 10th Annual “National Job Corps Commencement Day” ceremony on September 17, 2021. Due to restrictions related to the pandemic, the center held the ceremony virtually.

Family members, Councilwoman Shontel Brown, students, and staff celebrated the graduating class of 2021’s achievements and the invested time they made towards their future.

Center Director Cathy Williams opened the ceremony by welcoming everyone and encouraging graduates to believe in themselves and continue to follow their goals. Fear is your enemy, do not allow it to set in, she added.

Student Government President and Pharmacy Technician student Mahagony Hogan discussed the many ways she became stronger and more determined amid the pandemic. She supplied words of encouragement to her classmates.

Keynote speaker Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown presented a riveting inspirational speech to the graduates. She discussed the importance of teamwork and perseverance, especially when tackling challenges. Councilwoman Brown encouraged students to live life boldly, learn from mistakes, and always do good in the world and by people. She explained that nothing great gets accomplished alone and told the graduates to thank the people who helped them along the way.

Councilwoman Brown is a native Clevelander; she began her service as a Warrensville Heights city council member in 2012. She went on to be elected to Cuyahoga County Council where she currently serves. In 2017 Councilwoman Brown was elected Chairwoman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, leading the largest Democratic county in the state. She made history as the first woman and the first Black person to serve in this role.

In closing Deputy Center Director Tony Westbrook supplied recommended graduates embrace life’s journey. “This is not the end but a beginning of a lifetime to go,” he added.

Congratulations, Cleveland Job Corps graduates and parents! Good luck to all of you!