Amber Braaten

When Per Scholas launched its Phoenix campus in 2021, the program didn’t yet have a physical building. But for Amber Braaten, a mother of seven navigating an unbelievable series of personal and physical hardships, it represented something far more critical: a doorway to stability, independence, and hope.

Struggling to keep her family afloat, Amber was desperate for a change and determined to build a brighter future.

To fully appreciate Amber’s success, one must understand the mountain of adversity she climbed to reach it. Over a short stretch, Amber faced a relentless series of medical and financial setbacks, including housing instability, financial strain, physical injuries, and multiple surgeries.

Through every setback, Amber kept moving forward. It was during this period of recovery that Amber attended a Zoom information session hosted by community partner Maggie’s Place.

Facing a high monthly rent, Amber realized returning to technology was her clearest path to securing a well-paying, remote job that could support her family.

Just one week after a fourth surgery to remove the metal hardware from her foot, Amber enrolled in Per Scholas’s IT Support program. Still in a cast and recovering in her living room, she plunged into the rigorous curriculum. She established a disciplined study routine: printing out modules, reading physical books, highlighting key concepts, and staying up every night until the material clicked.

Beyond technical skills, Amber credits Per Scholas with teaching her the power of building professional relationships and navigating team dynamics. Even when post-graduation job hunting proved tough, the Per Scholas team refused to let her lose momentum.

“Per Scholas definitely changed my life… It’s the people. It’s the relationships that you build. I hit a rough patch after graduating, and they wouldn’t let me go. They kept checking in on me… until eventually I got a job because they wouldn’t let me wallow.”

Her persistence yielded major results. Since graduating, Amber has repeatedly returned to Per Scholas for alumni upskilling, stacking credentials including CompTIA A+, Network+, Google IT Support, ServiceNow System Administrator, AWS Solutions Architect, Cloud Practitioner, and Microsoft Azure Foundations (AZ-900).

Her career trajectory moved swiftly:

• ElectraMeccanica: Desktop support specialist managing IT inventory and equipment onboarding/offboarding
• Master Electronics (IT Service Desk Controller): Supervising service desk operations, managing SLA ticket queues, and mentoring team members
• IT Operations Controller: Expanding into broader operational workflows and enterprise service management
• Infrastructure Analyst: Building incident response processes, managing enterprise CMDB data, and using AI to create an incident response application for the IT ops team to automate and recover more quickly from incidents

At Per Scholas, KPIs like enrollment numbers, graduation rates, and job attainment are carefully tracked because they represent lives changed. But every once in a while, a story demonstrates that this work reaches far beyond the individual learner. It alters what is possible for their children, their families, and future generations.

A few years ago, when Amber’s company hosted a “Bring Your Kid to Work Day,” her children went around the office asking her team members for autographs. When Amber asked why, they replied: “Because they’re famous!” Having watched their mother speak at Per Scholas graduations and tech events, they viewed working in technology as something truly extraordinary.

Today, that inspiration has come full circle. Amber recently sent a message to Per Scholas leadership with photos of her daughter smiling in a high-tech school lab: “By graduation, Hailey will be certified in Dell Tech Support, A+, Net+, and Sec+! Hailey’s in cybersecurity, Sam and Romeo are in app and game design. Nate is majoring in coding and science.”

All four of the children who once saw their mom go through tech training are now actively building their own paths in STEM.

Amber, who understands the Per Scholas mission, continues to give back as an active alum, guest speaker, and mentor for incoming cohorts.

“Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s all a learning curve. You’re not always going to be right, and it’s okay to ask for help… Per Scholas offers a great product, and they need all the love.”

Amber’s journey is a living example of the true power of no-cost training. When you invest in one learner, you aren’t just changing a career path—you are shifting the trajectory of an entire family, creating a multi-generational legacy that will ripple for years to come.