Some of the most successful efforts on center are those lead by students for students. Recently one of the most innovative of these efforts was the March in to Womanhood group lead by students Dalin Juma and Maria Hernandez.

“We wanted to put together a group for the women students,” said Dalin, a Health Occupations student. “We all have questions and we wanted there to be safe place for us to get together and talk about issues we’re facing.”

March in to Womanhood was set up as a series of workshops and classes, with a final field trip to cap off the workshops. Dalin and Maria planned events that would help empower their fellow students and give them skills they will need after they graduate from Job Corps. Maria, who is studying Office Administration, explained, “Some of it was basic, like how to fix things in an apartment or sew a button. Other things were bigger, like how to negotiate salary.”

The field trip was to an event called Listen to Her Town Hall at Portland State University. Twenty-six female students were accompanied by Education Services Manager Connie Carlson and Career Counselor Julie Wennerstrom. Students participated in discussion groups, polls, and a storytelling booth to name just a few of the activities available. The topics discussed covered how to meet basic needs to leadership.

“We’d like to start another group in May,” said Dalin. “There will be new students on center and we’d like to be able to make this available to as many women as possible.” Every student who participated received a certificate from Dalin and Maria and were thanked for their participation.

Center Director Naomi Ulsted was impressed with the innovation and leadership displayed by Dalin and Maria and the students who participated. “It is exciting to see the young people we work with come up with creative ideas to empower themselves. I hope we see more students follow their lead and start groups like March in to Womanhood.”