“It has been a long, difficult journey to arrive at this place in my life,” stated Peter Lominit, sitting at his desk at Job Corps, where he works as the center’s Shipping and Receiving Clerk, “but I am happy and proud of what I have accomplished since I came to America in 2007.”

In 1999, Peter and his family became victims of the ongoing Uganda Civil War. “I was away from home at a boarding school when rebels attacked our village,” Peter stated. “When I came home, I learned that all of my family had been killed. I was only 14 years old.  The war got worse and a few of my friends and I decided to leave Uganda.  We walked for several months, and probably a thousand miles, before we arrived at the United Nation’s Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northwestern Kenya.  After seven years in the camp where 90,000 refugees lived, I was able to resettle in San Diego.”

Peter heard about Job Corps from a friend who had graduated from the program.  In 2007 he enrolled at the center, obtained his driver’s license and high school diploma, completed the Plumbing Career Technical Training program, and also served as Vice-President of his dormitory.

“Peter was a hardworking student who always wanted to learn more,” commented Paul Chilson, Peter’s Plumbing instructor.  “He led by example, and became the foreman of his class.  Peter had excellent employability skills and was always willing to help others.  He was a very positive influence on his classmates, and it’s great to have him back.”

“I worked as a plumber, a driver and a translator at a health clinic after I graduated from Job Corps,” Peter stated.  “Then Job Corps staff people told me about this job, and shortly after I applied, I was hired. That’s what great about the United States,” he added, “there’s so much opportunity for people who want to have a better life.”

“I believe that my faith in God has helped me overcome the adversity in my life,” Peter stated. ”All of it has been God’s wish for me.  I’ve been truly blessed.”