Name: Darrion Gray
Age: 18
Center: Cleveland Job Corps
Region: Chicago
Hometown: Dayton, OH
Career Area: Nursing Assistant
Dates in Job Corps: February 2016 – June 2016
Employer: Better Living Nursing Agency and PNG
Bellflex
After living a life consumed with the repercussions of continued bad decisions due to heavy street affiliations, Darrion Gray was faced with an ultimatum. Darrion’s parental unit, exhausted with the numerous talks of which he never took heed to, eventually told him that if he did not shape up and get his life to-gether, he would have to find somewhere else to stay. Not wanting to conform, Darrion found himself adjusting to sleeping outdoors.
On February 1, 2016, a month after his 18th birthday, Darrion arrived at the Cleveland Job Corps Center and enrolled into the Nursing Assistant trade. “Darrion appeared to be timid and introverted,” described Nursing Assistant Instructor Jameka Bloom. “He did openly explain to me that he had not been in a school setting in quite some time, he was extremely nervous and may need addition assistance from time to time in order to fully grasp the material.”
Darrion diligently followed a routine, he studied and often formed study groups or partnered with a study buddy. Darrion was very neat, clean and organized. He had great time management and came prepared for class each day. He was an active listener and understood the importance of constructive criticisms.
Understanding education and training are key. Darrion obtained his high school diploma through the Penn Foster Program and completed his 95 hours of clini-cal training at Rogers Home Care. He is now a certified Home Health Aide waiting to take his state test. While on leave in Dayton, Ohio, his Career Tran-sition Specialist, Aaron Ferris, took him to an interview with Better Living Nursing Agency and an interview with PNG Bellflex. Darrion was hired by both employers.
With the biggest smile on his face Darrion exclaimed, “the highlight of this all, Ms. Bloom, is that I was able to secure my own apartment. I know this may sound cheesy, but you just don’t know all that I’ve been through in my life and if I can make it, anybody can.” Darrion communicated that he really appreciat-ed Job Corps because it offered so much, and while Job Corps isn’t hard, it is-n’t easy either.”