JOB CORPS The Cleveland Job Corps Academy (CJCA) is proud to announce the selection of not one, but two CJCA students as National Job Corps Youth Ambassadors for Program Year 2009. Teondra L. Mills and Sean Barnett were selected from over one hundred applicants and will represent Region V (Chicago). They are two of twelve students selected nationwide for this very prestigious position.
Teondra L. Mills hails from Columbus, OH and is a graduate of Linden McKinley High School. After high school, Teondra attended Marietta College (OH), a private liberal arts college where she majored in International Business and Political Science. After completing her freshman year, Teondra discovered that she could no longer afford to attend Marietta College. Putting her education on the “back burner” Teondra started a career in property management and worked for five years until she was laid off due to the economy.
In May of 2009, Teondra enrolled in the CJCA Computer Repair Technician program to pursue her A+ and MCSE certifications. Teondra has an infectious smile and an easygoing personality. A natural leader, she brings a different level of maturity to her efforts on the CJCA campus. She quickly established herself as a top flight academic student and student leader; having served as a peer mentor, dorm leader and member of the Student Government Association (SGA). She also has a passion for martial arts and one day would like to open a martial arts school.
Sean Barnett hails from Cleveland, OH and dropped out of high school in the 9th grade. After attending another training program with little success, Sean enrolled in the CJCA in November of 2008. In addition to completing his career training in the School of Business Technology, Sean received his GED and high school diploma, and earned his drivers license through the Drivers Education Program.
As a student leader on campus, Sean has served as a classroom discussion facilitator, dorm leader, peer mentor and he is currently Treasurer of the Student Government Association. Sean’s career aspirations include being an investment banker. Through the partnership CJCA has with Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), Sean is taking classes in Business Administration as part of the CJCA Advanced Career Training (ACT) program. After completing their academics and vocational training on campus, through ACT, students can attend Tri-C for two semesters while still enrolled at CJCA.
As stated in the announcement from the office of the National Director of Job Corps, National Youth Ambassadors “will share their Job Corps experiences and success stories with select groups of industry and business organizations and all other relevant audiences. Their stories will help recruit new students and educate target audiences about the benefits of Job Corps.”
At the end of October, Sean and Teondra will attend a week-long interactive training at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. on public speaking, business etiquette and community service.
Sean plans to implement a mentoring program with a local middle school for his community service project, while Teondra plans on educating the community about the benefits of Job Corps.