Joliet Job Corps student Valencia Gordon displayed impressive Communication skills while interviewed on “848,” a show on WBEZ, National Public Radio, Sept. 3. And while the 15 to 20 minute conversation between the radio host, Valencia and Chicago Paul Simon Student Helene Williams was aired at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sept. 7, you can still listen in if you have a home computer.
    The link to the chat is at www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=44262
      Valencia was suffering from either a nasty summer cold or sinus infection last Friday. But she came through loud and clear in the interview at WBEZ’ offices at Chicago’s Navy Pier. She’s thankful for what Job Corps has taught her about structure and personal responsibility. She likes mentoring fellow students and hopes to one day work with youth. It’s hard being away from her two children to be here, but she believes the sacrifice will be worth it. She sounded like a mature young woman who doesn’t just recite the Career Success Standards, she’s adopted them.
     “One of the biggest things I have learned is you can be right, but if you insist on being right with your boss, that might just cost you your job,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to drop it.” Sounds like a young woman who respects Self, respects Others and accepts Supervision: SOS!
          “I was so proud when I clicked on the Web site’s link and heard her,” said STARS Coordinator Jan Larsen, who chauffeured Joliet’s latest media star up to the interview and home. “They didn’t let any of us ‘adults’ in the recording room with them. So Publicist Kerri McClimen, Paul Simon JC Director Bryan Mason and I sat in an anteroom and tried to guess what they were saying. We could see for sure when Helene went into a rap and also read a poem. She’s an awesome rapper.”
    Show topic that day was alternatives to traditional education in Chicago and that’s why it was aired the first day of school for Chicago Public Schools.
      Free-lance Publicist McClimen made the connection with WBEZ originally for visiting dignitaries at a board meeting of National Job Corps Association earlier in the week in Chicago.  These board members met with the Sun Times, and Tribune, along with Valencia, Helen and JJCC Graduate Marvin Green. But studio time didn’t allow Job Corps in until Friday – and Mason and Larsen were only too happy to get the students there early!
     “You can’t buy this kind of advertisement,” said Larsen. “It can only be given to you. The fact that these two beautiful, accomplished young women believe in Job Corps says more to our youth today than anything else we could say.”