Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps graduate Lashay Harry, 20, from Radcliff, KY, is taking her job training to the next level by enrolling in the Transportation CommunicationsUnion advanced training program at Potomac Job Corps Center.

Students in the advanced transportation program are trained in the following areas: transportation service worker, emphasizing freight and passenger railroads, airlines,barge lines and ground transportation systems; computer operations; office communications; business/consumer math; and job search skills.

This advanced training, coupled with the training Harry received in the Building Construction Technology program at Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps, will positionher for success in a variety of different career paths.

Job Corps has been a way for Harry to explore different career options. When she graduated from high school, she didn’t want to go to college right away but ratherwanted specific job training. She learned about Job Corps from her aunt, who was a Job Corps student in 2006 and who now has her own CNA business helping mentally disabled people in their homes.

While at Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps, Harry obtained her certification in BCT and her driver’s license.

She also learned the value of a positive attitude. Rod Ussery, her BCT instructor, told her, “If you keep telling yourself what you can’t do, you’ll never succeed.” Instead he encouraged her and other students to think about what they can do and what they can learn to do.

In addition to being her BCL instructor, Ussery was a mentor to Harry and other students. She described him as a tough father figure who challenges his studentsto sound and act professional at all times, prepares them for the real world and speaks frankly about important topics such as personal hygiene and retirement savings.

She recommends the Job Corps program to prospective students, saying, “You are taking yourself out of your elements and exposing yourself to something new. You aregoing to meet amazing people and you are going to learn a trade and you are going to leave with certifications, your education and a strong work ethic. Take advantage of this program while you can.”