North Texas Job Corps joined 126 Job Corps centers across the country to celebrate the 5th Annual “National Job Corps Commencement Day” ceremony Friday, August 21, 2015 to congratulate the Job Corps students who showed Job Corps Works! by completing the program this year.

Recent Job Corps graduates employed in Texas, employer partners, local policymakers, community leaders, family members and many others recognized these students’ achievements and the investment they made in their futures and community.

“The theme of this commencement is safety, integrity, leadership and for me integrity means standing up for what is right, even though you may be standing alone—it is a test of your integrity,” said Mayor Brian Loughmiller, McKinney, TX, the keynote speaker at North Texas Job Corps Center’s ceremony. “Be true to yourself and others.”

North Texas Job Corps was also honored to have one of its graduates, Joseph Kossia, to also speak at the graduation. Joseph’s food for thought was “to keep a mindset of positive thought and attitude.”

North Texas Job Corps Center is one of 126 Job Corps centers located across the country. A unique national program, Job Corps offers at-risk youth a set of diverse academic opportunities and career pathways tailored to meet the needs of business and industry. Each year, Job Corps gives tens of thousands of youth a second chance to complete their education and advance into careers, higher education or the military.

Job Corps has served more than 2.7 million out-of-work young adults and underserved youth nationally. Many are high-school dropouts or public-assistance recipients, and Job Corps helps them become active contributors to their communities.

In April 2015, the entire Job Corps community gathered in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the program. As part of this celebration, supporters heard stories from current and former students, staff and businesses about the tremendous benefits that Job Corps provides to communities across the country, including McKinney, TX.