Greetings Cleveland Staff and Students,

I hope that you all had the opportunity to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. As we close the book on 2020, let us be reminded of what it taught us: to never take anything for granted, to always cherish and celebrate family and friends in the present, that there is not anything we cannot do when we all come together, and the true meaning of being flexible.
We went from doors closed and empty classrooms to resumed operations on January 12, 2021, bringing back twenty-two potential graduates. Job Corps has proven to be one of the most resilient programs around. All of you made this happen. Your hard work and dedication are appreciated. Our jobs are more complex than ever. We have turned a program that is over 50 years old into a new program delivered through virtual learning. While the challenges of today may be more complex and the solutions appear unreachable, we must engage everyone on our campus to aid our students in building a better future for themselves. As we continue welcoming our students back to campus, let us ALL work together to show them that while we strongly emphasize education and training, we also care about the edification of each of them.
Last year brought about a change in leadership as well. I appreciate those of you who have embraced this new change as well as those who require more time. As former First Lady Michelle Obama stated, “Here in America (at CJCC), we don’t let our differences tear us apart. Not here. Because we know that our greatness comes from when we appreciate each other’s strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other!” We must continue building respectful and professional relationships on campus.
To be successful, we must:
• Perform a self-evaluation and establish a set of job-related goals we want to tackle this year.
• Become 1 – Be on the same TEAM by increasing our collaboration efforts to assist students in achieving their academic goals.
• Remember communication is key: distribute information, request feedback, ask for clarification, check your emails regularly, and respond in a timely manner.
• Promote a positive center culture by spending more time recognizing our students’ abilities. Make it a point to be present and approachable with students to make sure they enjoy a diverse and inclusive campus.
• Increase and reconnect partnerships.

As we move forward, please keep in mind that we are ALL in this together. Our success is determined by the success of each of our students. In the end, it is both staff and students who determine the outcomes. Remember that failure is not an option! It is our time and 2021 will be our year!

Cathy Williams
Cleveland Job Corps Center Director