The August 16th graduation ceremony held on the campus of the North Texas Job Corps was a part of National Job Corps Commencement Day.  North Texas Job Corps joined 123 Job Corps centers across the country to celebrate the 9th Annual “National Job Corps Commencement Day” ceremony on Aug. 16.  The center celebrated the accomplishments of 72 graduates who participated in the ceremony.  These newest graduates now have the job training foundation to succeed in full-time employment, enroll in college through the North Texas Job Corps Advanced Career Training program, pursue advanced training at other Job Corps Centers or enlist in the military.

“I went from poverty living with my parents to now taking care of them,” said Dariondrick “Wes” Moore, the student graduate speaker who completed the Security training program and graduated from Collin College while enrolled at North Texas Job Corps. “It is your choices that make your life different.”

Moore, who earned his associate’s degree from Collin College through the Center’s Advanced Career Training program, maintained a 4.0 GPA at Collin College and graduated with honors, Summa Cum Laude.  The ACT program allows qualified students to earn an associate’s degree or certification at Collin College at no cost to themselves.

Motivational speaker LaDarryl Woods, who was the keynote speaker at the North Texas Job Corps ceremony, urged graduates to “believe in yourselves.  Every one of you has the chance to excel.”

Pictured left to right, are student Desiree Juarez, Graduate Speaker Wes Moore, Keynote Speaker LaDarryl Woods, SGA President Manuel Sanchez and Center Director Will Stinson

Graduates who completed the Certified Nursing Assistant and Patient Care Technician programs were recognized in a special “Pinning” ceremony.

Each graduate received a “Certificate of Congressional Recognition” signed by Congressman Van Taylor, representing Texas’ 3rd Congressional District.  Congressman Ron Wright of Texas’s 6th District wrote a congratulatory letter that was read at the ceremony.

Local business leaders attended the ceremony at North Texas Job Corps to support a program that benefits the local economy.  The average Job Corps center supports 228 local jobs, and every dollar invested in Job Corps returns almost $2.00 to the local economy.  Nationally, the 123 Job Corps centers support about 30,000 jobs, the vast majority of which are with private businesses.

Local community members who have worked with North Texas Job Corps student volunteers also joined the celebration to congratulate many of their student volunteers.  North Texas Job Corps students and staff work with local community-based organizations and nonprofits, logging many hours of volunteer service every year.  For example, North Texas Job Corps students work with McKinney Relay for Life, Dallas Community Fellowship, Plano International Festival and Transform Dallas to provide needed volunteer services to Collin County and the Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

Job Corps is the largest nationwide residential career training program in the country and has been operating for more that 50 years.  Job Corps has trained and educated over two million individuals since 1964.  The North Texas Job Corps center is located in McKinney, Texas.  Our job training program helps eligible young people ages 16-24 train for meaningful careers in Construction, Healthcare, Hospitality, Transportation, Homeland Security, and Finance and Business.  Students are also able to complete their high school education and obtain employment.