Kalib Travis

Kalib Travis was always passionate about problem-solving, technology, and computer science, but had never had the opportunity to pursue these interests professionally. He had known about Per Scholas for a few years before he applied, but had been unable to take part in the program because of his full-time job in customer service. Still, he kept the program in the back of his mind and, when he stopped working during the Covid pandemic, Kalib decided to take the opportunity to get his foot in the door of the tech industry and develop his skills and knowledge in a professional direction.

Kalib attended Per Scholas Columbus’s CompTIA+ Course. “It was overwhelming in terms of how much knowledge we had to take in,” Kalib recalled. “But there was support the whole time, from my teachers, my classmates, professional development, and from Per Scholas as a whole. It was so well-organized and well-taught; it was awe-inspiring. And the amount of information and knowledge I gained throughout it was not something I could have done on my own in just 15 weeks.”

Kalib appreciated Per Scholas’s emphasis on professional development as well as knowledge, and was impressed by the amount of support that the program offered. “We have training days where we’re learning technical information about computers,” he said. “And then we have professional development days. We started off working on how we presented ourselves, how we introduce ourselves, our resumes, and how we handle interviews. Once we got a good grasp on that, we went into mock interviews, and then into actually meeting companies. Representatives from different companies would come in…this process helped me land my current position.”

Kalib was in correspondence with several employers before he even graduated, and he began working in a tech position in Chipotle’s ticketing department directly after graduation. He then moved to work as the main admin and IT-person at the Columbus branches of Addus Home Health and Abbott Home Healtchare, Inc., before taking a Per Scholas Alumni course in Software Engineering to expand his skill repertoire.

Kalib now works for the Ohio Department of Youth Services as a Team Infrastructure Specialist II, and loves his position. He enjoys working with a team and taking on new projects every day. He is grateful to Per Scholas for helping him change his life and work in a field he loves. “Even when I have bad days,” Kalib reflected, “at least I can say I’m here. At least I got the opportunity, through Per Scholas, to change my life and actually work every day in IT. Even if there’s highs and lows, I’m always feeling great because I took that opportunity and made that change.

“…My experience at Per Scholas was more than I ever could have imagined. It was a great, amazing opportunity. And we’re not done – I’m still in touch. I just spoke with my professional development coordinator last week, she checked in on me. Even now, I can reach out to my teacher with any questions and they are happy to help. Just having that support, initially, was surprising! I feel so proud to be able to say ‘we’ and call myself a part of Per Scholas. We are reputable and employers won’t hesitate to look at a Per Scholas applicant. If they know about the training program, they know how serious and hard working and also flexible we are. They also know that we have the knowledge. They get an individual that comes with that entire Per Scholas support system. [Per Scholas graduates] have a sense of responsibility and pride about being a part of Per Scholas…If you want to get an IT career started, Per Scholas is a great resource to use. The support is great and they will definitely get you to where you need to be.”