You may have seen Jay Burdine all around the country.

During his interview, he was in Mississippi. Before that, he was in Kentucky, helping clean up damage from the recent tornado disaster. And even before that, he was in Hawaii.

As an Americorps member, he’s seen a lot of the country. And working with FEMA, he’s done a lot to help people in need. Plus, it’s taken him on a thrill ride across the country.

“I like to travel. I love going to new places, seeing new things,” he said. “It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush…The adrenaline rush was so fun and amazing.”

There is nothing, he added, quite like getting a midnight call sending him halfway across the country in just a couple hours. And Whitney M. Young Job Corps helped make it possible.

Burdine has been through the Job Corps program twice – first, he earned a trade in Pharmacy Tech and worked at Walgreens for a while before returning for CMA training.

“I was sheltered,” he said. “When I came to Job Corps, I realized I’m not the only person anymore. I’ve got to share the attention.”

It was a lesson hard-learned, Burdine said, but one that turned him into a leader. That, along with his trade education, opened a number of doors for him. And other students can open those doors too.

“Be ready to accept your calling, be willing to do whatever your calling is, and be open to whatever happens,” he said.