Stories from our Ambassadors across the country.

NEW YORK

Sade Strachan

“My name is Sade Strachan, I’m 28 years old from the South Bronx. I graduated from Per Scholas May of 2016 receiving my A+ certification in IT Support. I now work for NCR Corporation as a Second Level Customer Engineer.” Read more.

ATLANTA

Vanessa Brown

“My name is Vanessa Brown, originally from Long Island, NY, but currently reside in Lawrenceville, GA. It is a suburb approximately 30 miles outside of Atlanta. I was one of the first graduates of the Long Island class sponsored by Per Scholas in 1997. My very first job after graduating was with IBM.” Read more.

DALLAS

Alex Hernandez

“My name is Alex Hernandez and I attended the first class held at Per Scholas’ Dallas campus that started back in March of 2015. I have lived in Dallas Texas my whole life and knew the struggles of finding decent employment in a competitive market all too well.  I truly believe that if I did not attend Per Scholas, I would still be working labor intensive jobs earning less than half of what I make today.” Read more.

Taj is determined to be successful. However, after attending college for one year he decided to leave because of the increasing financial burden and strain. Through his early twenties, Taj moved between a series of jobs including a position with the finance department in a construction firm and restaurants, but he continued his search for opportunities to advance his education. During this time, especially after long nights in the restaurant, he would arrive home to realize that the hospitality industry could not support his financial goals nor would it fulfill his own ambitions. “Coming back from school put a lot of strain on my finances and my relationship with my parents. I had moved out, and began living on my own and working in restaurants not making much money. Emotionally, it was challenging because I always had high aspirations for myself.

Taj’s parents work for a large church in Cincinnati that had recently hired a local tech company, Thrive, to support their network needs. Thrive is a major partner for Per Scholas in Cincinnati and has hired a number of the graduates. After learning about the relationship, he was intrigued by the possibility to receive free IT skill and Professional Development training that could develop his competence to work for a company like Thrive. “This would put me on a path that college never could. If the point of college is to get a job, then how is this any different, except without financial limitations?”

Incredibly excited for the start of the course, Taj found the tech training challenging, however he says he now understands how much this new career path in tech could offer. Equally important, during the Professional Development portion of the curriculum, Taj found a new ability to reflect on his own life skills and accomplishments. “Self reflection, gathering your skills, realizing what you have learned in a job are things I started to pick up from the career development aspect of Per Scholas. The end result has shocked me.” Taj says he is currently helping both his parents develop their own resume writing capacity and strengths for career growth.

Taj was fortunate to accept a job at Thrive, even before he graduated from Per Scholas. “I have the security of the highest paying job I’ve ever had and in a field that has analyst positions open all the time and the salaries are only going up. I have nothing but hope and excitement about my future. Just three or four months ago I was expecting to be just above minimum wage for the foreseeable future. I work for a company that cares about my success and they pay for my training.” Taj could not be more excited for the future and thanks the training and opportunity that Per Scholas provided.

Before Per Scholas, Angela worked tirelessly at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as an Access Service Representative. Angela found herself working overtime almost every night so she could pay her bills every month. With an annual increase of just 20 cents, Angela was forced to make sacrifices to take care of her family. “My mom is 79, living in Kentucky on a strict income with medicinal needs — I would skip doctor’s appointments so that what I would spend on a co-pay would go towards her groceries and prescriptions,” she says. Never resting on her laurels, Angela sought out new ways to get promoted at her work. She gained her Associate’s degree in Business Administration and took 17 additional classes to prepare herself for any promotion opportunities at her job.

With no promotion in sight, Angela was forced to look elsewhere. After sending over more than 250 unsuccessful applications, Angela was lost. While talking to her sister, who has been in IT for over 30 years, Angela felt inspired. She often assisted the doctors in the office with their tech support needs. In fact, the manager of the IT department at the hospital guaranteed her a position if she ever gained IT certifications. Angela knew that IT would allow her to do more, where she could have a meaningful career. After some research, Angela found that IT courses were expensive and time consuming– there was no way she could afford the costs and miss the opportunity to work. The less expensive online courses lacked the necessary hands on training she needed to grasp the concepts. Angela nearly gave up, until she found Per Scholas.

Angela’s friend had recently left a corporate position making an incredible salary because he wasn’t happy. He heard about Per Scholas on the radio, quit his job and started the program. He enrolled in the Software Testing course, provided in partnership with Thrive Impact Sourcing. It was only 8 weeks and he is now employed as a Software QA Tester. Inspired, Angela decided that she had to take the course. She made the call to City Link and made an appointment to attend a Per Scholas information session. Amidst all of this, Angela had surgery on her spine which put her out of commission for 3 months.

Angela knew this was her only opportunity to change her career so she used her time off wisely. Angela had surgery on July 8th, her Per Scholas interview on the 14th, and started training on the 25th. She spent her recovery months learning how to be an IT professional. At first, it was overwhelming. “I knew I wouldn’t drop out and quit, but I was afraid I wouldn’t make it,” she says. Angela was inspired by her instructor, Jacqueline.  She says “Jacqueline used all sorts of techniques. We were trained on how to do test cases that prepared us for the real world.”

Angela was always early for class and always prepared. Her determination did not go unnoticed; her Mom said, “I don’t know how you’re able to heal from a surgery and go to training at the same time!” The career development portion of the training also surprised Angela. She was amazed to see her resume turn into what she saw as a “fantastic document filled with new skills and abilities.”

Angela graduated Class President from Per Scholas and began work at Thrive Impact Sourcing as a Quality Assurance tester and she could not be happier. Her work matters in real-time and she is now in an environment that cares about her growth. “I’m not dreading going to work everyday. I’m not frazzled, frustrated, or disappointed anymore.” The greatest change for Angela, was in her compensation and ability to provide for her family. With an annual salary difference of ($12K or 30%), Angela is able to do more. She says “When I think about things I actually need, I know I can afford them. I don’t have to wait or juggle bill payments anymore.” She is even able to help her Mom pay for groceries and medications, and her son with college tuition and car payment.

With a new career, Angela has hopes to take her Software Testing skills further by learning to write code and obtaining a Software Engineer position. When asked about her change through Per Scholas, she states plainly: “I was not happy before. I was stagnant and had self-doubts in my abilities. Now, I feel motivated that I can do more. Nothing can stop me.”

A job can change everything. And, reports show there are plenty to go around: there are currently 5.5 million job openings the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that by 2020 employment in all computer occupations is expected to increase by 22 percent.

However, the large number of openings and the high growth projections signals that employers can’t find the workers with the right skills for the open jobs that they have. And yet, so many people across the country are consistently overlooked for these open positions.  

The people being overlooked have the desire to do more and be more, but are often stuck at a job that doesn’t pay well, provide benefits or offer opportunities for growth. They do not know how to make a change and cannot afford to pay for lengthy schooling or high-cost training programs.

That’s where Per Scholas comes in. Every single person who comes to Per Scholas is looking to make a change in their life. But, many don’t expect it to change their entire life.

Take Taj for example. Taj has always been an ambitious person with an unwavering determination to be successful. However, due to financial constraints, Taj was forced to drop out of college after one year. His departure from school also began to cause a strain on the relationship between him and his parents, so he moved out and supported himself by working in restaurants. Each night he would come home and realize that the hospitality industry would not support his financial needs nor would it fulfill the ambitions he had for himself. “Emotionally it was challenging because I always had high aspirations for myself,” he says. Now, since completing his training with Per Scholas, Taj is finding greater success than he thought possible: “I currently work for a company that cares about my success. They pay for my training and my boss sits right next to me!”

Our rigorous IT training and professional development enables graduates to acquire new skills, certifications, connections, a sense of purpose and self-worth and prepares them for a career. Eighty percent of the time, graduates find a career within one year – and that career comes with a steady paycheck, benefits and ultimately reduces – or removes – the need for public assistance.

Per Scholas works to ensure every graduate is confident in their skills, their training and themselves to reach for those open jobs and a better future. For our graduates, a job changes everything.

The Per Scholas Cincinnati site recently launched an exciting new pilot program that brings Quality Assurance Software training to the greater Cincinnati region. This eight-week track is a collaboration between Per Scholas and two Cincinnati-based organizations, Ingage Partners and Thrive Urban Impact Sourcing, to prepare local talent for positions as quality assurance software testers.

Like all Per Scholas programs, this course is offered tuition-free to un- and under-employed individuals and aims to ensure the IT sector is providing opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities.

Local partners and supporters have already begun to show their commitment to the new track. Program partner Thrive Urban Impact has pledged to hire at least half of the graduating class – and recently surpassed this promise by making offers to 11 out of 13 graduates, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley spoke at an afternoon class, and the Scripps Howard Foundation has awarded $20,000 to Per Scholas Cincinnati in support of the program.

We believe in a collaborative approach to cultivating talent in our students, and our community, business and philanthropic partners are crucial to our success. We graduated our second class of quality assurance software testers in September and are looking forward to their continued success in the Cincinnati community.

The Scripps Howard Foundation has awarded $20,000 to Per Scholas Cincinnati in support of the new Quality Assurance Software training track.  

The Quality Assurance Software training track is a Per Scholas program designed to prepare individuals from the greater Cincinnati region for positions as quality assurance software testers. The program is a collaboration between Per Scholas, Ingage Partners and Thrive Urban Impact Sourcing to ensure the IT sector is providing opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities.

The eight-week intensive course is offered tuition-free to un- or underemployed residents of the greater Cincinnati region. These individuals gain the technical and business skills necessary to launch successful careers in technology. Students from this class will have the opportunity upon graduation to interview for full-time positions directly with Thrive Impact Sourcing and other corporate partners. Thrive has pledged to hire at least half of the graduating class.

Recognizing Per Scholas’ achievement preparing and placing graduates from other training tracks, such as the CompTIA A+ program, the Scripps Howard Foundation awarded this grant to support the pilot of the quality assurance program.

“We are thrilled to be awarded a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation,” said Paul Cashen, managing director of Per Scholas Cincinnati. “This funding will enable us to expand the course to more individuals from the greater Cincinnati region, and allow us to develop the track’s training program.”

The Per Scholas model has been validated by two workforce development studies, and recognized for its ability to produce positive and lasting impacts related to the income, reliance on public benefits and overall well-being of its students. Training at Per Scholas is intended not only to educate students, but to arm them with life-changing business and life skills that result in long-term success and economic mobility.

Full press release here.

Per Scholas

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that drives positive and proven social change in communities across the country. Through rigorous and tuition-free technology training and professional development, we prepare motivated and curious adults who are unemployed or in low wage jobs for life-changing careers as IT professionals, and we create onramps to businesses in need of their talents. Today we provide our solutions in six cities across the country: Atlanta, GA; Greater Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; the National Capital Region; and New York, NY. To date, Per Scholas has trained over 5,000 individuals, helping them build lasting, life-changing careers in technology. For more information, visit perscholas.org, Twitter @PerScholas and Facebook.

Scripps Howard Foundation

The Scripps Howard Foundation (www.scripps.com/foundation), based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company. With a special commitment to the regions where Scripps does business, the Foundation helps build strong communities and improve the quality of life through support of sound educational programs, strong families, vital social services, enriching arts and culture and inclusive civic affairs. The Scripps Howard Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development, literacy and First Amendment causes.

In May, Per Scholas had the pleasure of hosting Mayor John Cranley and Director of Community Affairs Bridget Patton at the Per Scholas Greater Cincinnati offices and classroom at CityLink. Mayor Cranley, attended a Quality Assurance Software Testing class to meet with students, give remarks on overcoming obstacles in a career and answer questions about a variety of different topics of interest about the city.

This inaugural quality assurance software testing class, a training program offered by Per Scholas in collaboration with Ingage Partners and Thrive Impact Sourcing, is designed to prepare individuals from the Greater Cincinnati region for positions as quality assurance software testers. Like all Per Scholas programs, this course is offered tuition-free to individuals who are un- or underemployed and seeking a better career path in IT.

“It was an honor to have Mayor Cranley join us at our quality assurance software class,” said Paul Cashen, Managing Director of Per Scholas Cincinnati. “At Per Scholas, we believe in a collaborative effort to support and cultivate the immense talent that can come from often overlooked communities in Greater Cincinnati. Like the Mayor, we are dedicated to this community and believe in investing in individuals in order to open doors to meaningful careers in IT.”

Full press release available here.

The Scripps Howard Foundation has awarded $20,000 to Per Scholas Cincinnati in support of the new Quality Assurance Software training track.  

The Quality Assurance Software training track is a Per Scholas program designed to prepare individuals from the greater Cincinnati region for positions as quality assurance software testers. The program is a collaboration between Per Scholas, Ingage Partners and Thrive Urban Impact Sourcing to ensure the IT sector is providing opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities.