Alexander was born in Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest nations. After moving to the United States to advance his education, he encountered various personal and financial troubles. Alexander needed to consider a career alternative, not just for his future, but that of his family.

Title: Senior Coordinator for Help Support

Employer: Capital One

Location: Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas

Program/Course Name: IT Support

A Dream an Ocean Over

The seventh of nine children, Alexander grew up in Africa where he and his siblings all shared responsibilities around the house. He enjoyed learning and was the first in his family to go to college. He studied education at the University of Malawi and taught geography as a high school teacher for several years. However, what he made as a teacher was not enough even though he continued to provide for his family.

As the only educated member in his family, Alexander needed to support his family the best he could. To meet the financial needs he hoped, Alexander decided to look elsewhere, beyond Malawi, beyond Africa. Education was both a career and a personal interest of his so he decided to study abroad and get his master’s degree.

“I had hoped to leverage my education to better provide for my family. To do this, I dreamed of moving to the United States and excelling in my career there.”

Educational Background before IT Training

Alexander was off to start his new life in Boston, Massachusetts where he enrolled at Brandeis University. His family had pooled all of their funds together to finance his travel to America. However, his transition to the Northeast was not easy. Even with a partial scholarship, between paying for his tuition and living expenses, he could no longer afford school and had to drop out.

Hoping to still complete his degree, he moved to Texas to live with a distant relative and enrolled at Dallas Baptist University. After one semester, he could no longer support himself nor send funds back home to his family. Once again, Alexander withdrew from college and immediately began looking for a full-time job.

A Tech Genesis

For a time, Alexander worked at a local nursing home that paid $10/hour. It was barely enough to afford his basic living expenses. Although he stayed with his relative, he still needed to pay his share of rent. While attending a local church he came across a flyer for Per Scholas Dallas and their free IT certification training. Alexander always had an interest in technology. Back home in Malawi, he and his brother dabbled with operating a small computer repair business providing computer technical support to locals. The business still operates to this day!

He was skeptical about the absolutely free training offered by Per Scholas as per the flyer. “I have been paying a lot of money for education and you’re telling me that someone is going to give me IT training for free?” Fortunately, the person who placed the flyer was both a member of the church and an alum of Per Scholas. They encouraged him to attend an upcoming information session for IT Support training.

Alexander held off applying in order to build up his savings to finance himself throughout the ten weeks of training. “If I was going to do this, I wanted to make sure that I had all the support I needed. That meant quitting my job and focus only on my training. I was still paying back a loan for the semester I attended in Boston.”

At times it was challenging, especially when taking public transportation. To get to class, Alexander needed to take a 15-minute bus ride which took him to a train station where he had to travel 45 minutes to the Dallas metro area. “Students were expected to adhere to the strict attendance policy, so I had to wake up very early to make sure I was on time.” Sometimes Alexander stayed late to work with his peers to finish assignments, but for him, it was worth it!

After passing his CompTIA A+ certification exam, he was ready to find a job. He uploaded his resume whenever he could, attending networking events to get his name out in the job market. Still, there were no offers forthcoming. “It tested the best of me. I was interviewing and getting calls, but no job.”

Capital Gain

A month after graduating, Alexander was called in to interview at Capital One. He was selected among 20 other applicants for a contract position. Six months into the role, he was brought on board as a full-time associate working as Senior Coordinator for Help Desk Support where he currently trains and helps to onboard new hires.

“I am grateful for my experience at Per Scholas Dallas. I am able to envision a professional future for myself. I’m proud to be an alum because I also get to see other students come out of the training and find career success. Even here at Capital One, on a different team, there is another Per Scholas graduate who started out as a team leader and was soon promoted to principal coordinator. That only speaks to the caliber of the training we received from Per Scholas. We do our best, but Per Scholas is what helped us to realize and maximize our potential.”

Alex currently works at Capital One as a Senior Coordinator for Help Desk Support and continues to learn more about the field and progress his skill sets. To learn more about our IT Support course and other course offerings, visit our apply page.

Per Scholas is best known for our involvement with technology. For over twenty years, we have provided tuition-free technical training in our vigorous IT courses. In addition, Per Scholas is also heavily focused on workforce development. For our students, polishing their soft skills is just as important as acquiring technical skills. This combination will make them the most marketable version of themselves when entering the technology workforce.

During our courses, students are encouraged to find networking events on their own and explore other professional opportunities to deliver their 60-second pitch. At the Bronx Per Scholas site, Career Advancement Manager Janice Reid often received feedback from students that they were too shy or intimidated to strike up a conversation with a stranger at an event. After receiving this information, Janice came up with the idea to host a networking event of our own at Per Scholas. This would create a comfortable space for new students and soon to be graduates to practice their soft skills.

Janice Reid turned her idea into a reality with the first-ever networking event in the Bronx on Tuesday, August 8. She received a lot of support from her co-workers Craig Rosenberg (Director, Career Advancement), Chris Stone (Associate, Alumni Engagement), Jose Jurado (Senior Manager, Career Advancement), and Giselle Jaquez (Manager, Corporate Engagement).  Because it was the first time an event like this was ever done, Janice and her team had many goals they hoped to accomplish.

Students were told to draw a name from a jar. They then were instructed to deliver their 60-second pitch to that person. In addition, an ice breaking activity was conducted at the event. Janice said she also expected the event to help newer students meet and get advice from the graduating students. These goals were exceeded, as Janice told a story of a young man who attempted to leave the event because he was shy. With encouragement from Janice, he was able to make two new friends.

The 60-second pitch is the best way for our students to highlight their skillset. It’s intended use is to express how they stand out from other job candidates. Janice says, “Specifically, for Per Scholas students, why are you making the transition into the tech industry? What is the bridge that took you from where you were to where you are today?” Besides the 60-second pitch, we hold mock interviews and implement a zero-tolerance policy at Per Scholas. Students come back to Janice and tell her that the mock interviews in class are harder than the real interviews they have had.

Networking events like the one held on August 8 are essential for our students to learn professionalism and how to brand themselves. As Janice puts it, “You can have all the certifications in the world. You can have all the tech knowledge in the world. But if you cannot sell that tech knowledge, if you cannot go out and brand yourself properly and sell yourself, you and your tech knowledge will be on the couch. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to sell yourself, have those soft skills, and show them how great you are, not only as a technician, but as a person.”

Per Scholas’ Bronx location kicked off its first ever Spring Break Technology Boot Camp from April 10th-April 14th. The Boot camp was a five day, full-time opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to engage in a series of technology focused workshops during their spring break vacation. This group of high school seniors like to be referenced as “The Future” and are a talented cohort of creative, forward thinking and motivated individuals.

Students participated in 10 hours of career development workshops, 15 hours of hands-on project based technical instruction, a financial capability workshop, and a “lunch & learn” event with a Per Scholas alum currently working for Dell, one of our corporate partners. Students also had the chance to develop professional skills including resume writing and mock interview practice. 

Enrollees included seven talented seniors from three Bronx high schools. They fulfilled professional and technical skill goals required for academic portfolio’s which are also essential transferable skills for internships and entry level positions in the information technology workforce. Rosa Matos, Manager of Young Adult Partnerships explained, “By providing them with a real life, work based, learning experience coupled with professional development and exposure to tracks in IT, the students can clearly understand the road map to a successful career which helps them to determine what their next steps should be in order to pursue training and fulfilling careers post high school graduation.”

The tech boot camp culminated in a Tech Fair and Completion Ceremony when participants each gave presentations on the website they had build that included videos edited by fellow students. Congrats to “The Future” for committing to and completing Per Scholas’ Spring Break Technology Boot Camp. We hope to see them in the upcoming months as official Per Scholas students.

Check out past Monthly Impact Reports here.

On January 4, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) visited Per Scholas Cincinnati to show his support of Per Scholas’ work with the long-term unemployed and to discuss his priorities as Co-Chair of the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus.

The Senator met with Per Scholas staff as well as students of the current IT Support cohort. Portman shared, “I was glad to see the important work being done at Per Scholas Cincinnati to ensure Ohioans have the skills needed to fill the jobs that are available.”

During the visit, he also toured the CityLink Center and was impressed with the integrated social services that people can find there.

As Co-Chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Portman wrote and passed an amendment that makes long-term unemployed Americans eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which encourages businesses to hire hire long-term unemployed Ohioans, helping them get back on their feet. He says, “Six years after the recession was declared over, more than 2 million Americans have been unemployed 27 weeks or longer – and even that excludes the approximately 6 million Americans who say they want a job but are not counted as unemployed because they have given up searching.  This provision creates an incentive for employers to hire those folks, the very people who have the most trouble finding work.”

To view the coverage of the Senator’s visit on WLWT news, click here.

Per Scholas National Capital Region graduate Chrystal Banks opened up the Beta Bash 1.0 with a speech about her journey into technology through Per Scholas.

See a copy of her remarks below.

GOOD EVENING!

It is such an honor to be kicking off the first-ever Beta Bash event in support of Per Scholas.

My name is Chrystal Banks and I am a Per Scholas graduate.

Can all my fellow tech nerds make some noise?!

I am incredibly passionate about technology and I don’t even know where to begin to express what Per Scholas means to me.

I grew up here in the DMV. As a kid, I was really close to my dad. Anything he was doing, I wanted to do. He was always fixing every electronic device that existed. Computer systems, gaming systems, sound systems, you name it. We weren’t rich but somehow managed to always have the latest technology!

It was the 90s. New technology was hot.

My first computer had a Windows ‘95 OS and I will never forget it.

This is how I first started to learn technology. I would hook things up with my dad. Everything he did I was right there with him.

He would be really proud of me.

When I went to college, it wasn’t obvious for me to study technology. I was 18, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life yet. So I studied sociology because it interested me, but I had no idea what I was going to do with a degree in Sociology.

After my freshman year on campus I hit a few rough patches and had to take some time off.

I’d work retail, places like Starbucks, H&M. … Jobs just to fulfill my immediate needs.

But I knew I could do better for myself. This was a very discouraging time for me and I know some of you can relate.

After some years off, I went back to school focused and ready to plan for the rest of my life. I was a junior college … when I had my beautiful son Eli.

Being a new mother, full-time student, and working to pay the bills became too much. I once again had to stop my classes.

During this time I shared a small apartment with my mother, three siblings, and my son. My room was a very tiny den.

It was a really rough time. And I had no idea how to get past it. Lost and depressed doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt.

I was attending an information session for jobs with the Census Bureau when someone came in to talk about a different opportunity.

A training that would teach me technology skills, provide me IT certifications, and help me launch a career in tech —- And it was FREE.

I think I might have asked the guy a hundred questions.

The program was Per Scholas. I will never forget this day.

You ask the world to give you signs … and this was my sign.

My dad passed away a few years before —- and I just knew … I just felt this had to be his sign. And I knew that this was my opportunity. Nothing was going to stop me.

I’ve never been so motivated, I applied the same day!

The day I got accepted to Per Scholas was one of the best days of my life. The life I wanted to create for myself and my son.

I am sure you can hear the passion in my voice and that passion was met by everyone at Per Scholas. My fellow classmates. My instructor. The entire staff.

Everyone was there learning from the beginning together and we supported one another along the way.

Once we graduated and we all began to interview for jobs, I’d get a text from everyone wishing me luck. Even Bridgette would send me notes of encouragement.

With every discouraging moment, there was a community to keep me lifted up.

It wasn’t long after I graduated that I landed my first job in tech at Strayer University as a tier 1 Help Desk technician. From there I have gone on to work for ICMA-RC’s Help Desk.

I’m great at my job! I take pride in what I do.

Coming in with the basic skills Per Scholas gave me, it’s up to me to take the initiative to build on that, and I’ve done that. I ask questions. Beyond tier 1, I want to know everything.

And I am so happy and blessed that I get to continue learning. ON MONDAY I will begin a course at General Assembly to become a web developer —- and I got a full scholarship.

Sometimes I can’t believe it.

I’ve been doing the pre-work for the course and I’m knocking it out of the park!

When I get home from work, my fingers are itching to get to programming. I love every minute of learning to use Github, ruby rails, terminal… I cannot wait until my first day!

In tech —- and in life —- you have to constantly grow. The moment you stay still is the moment you stop your success.

I am my son’s role model. I want to provide him a great education and a better life. He is so smart, and I want to nurture that.

He’s only been here for two years and we spent most of that time living in a den with no windows and no door. I know he won’t remember that, and I don’t want him to. I want him to have a normal childhood, carefree and not grow up worrying about having food on the table.

I want to avoid that struggle at all cost —- and I am closer and closer to that point and have never been so confident.

Per Scholas really changes lives.

I cannot emphasize that point enough.

I am smart. I am extremely hard working. I just didn’t know where to go or what to do to begin and put my potential in action. My situation is not unusual. There are so many like me and we just need that door opened —- and we are ready to sprint through it.

I found Per Scholas and I am flying.

Your being here is so powerful. Your being here matters. It creates opportunity. It changes lives.

It is such a honor to be here tonight. I get the honor of acknowledging those of you who helped to make my opportunities possible. Accenture and Symantec, our presenting sponsors tonight. Thank you! Also supporting tonight are Capital One, Catholic Charities, DNS, Iron Bow and Magview. We so appreciate your collaboration.

I also want to recognize the Per Scholas board and host committee who helped make tonight possible. Thank you.

What I go on to achieve will be in part because you believed in me. And I cannot say thank you enough.

Thank you all and thank you Per Scholas!

Cincinnati graduate Rita Knaff took the stage today at the 2015 Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) Symposium, a gathering of African American CIOs to promote more diversity in executive-level IT positions across the country.

Before Per Scholas Rita worked as a flight attendant for 19 years. When she was suddenly laid off, she didn’t know what to do with her life. Through word of mouth she found Per Scholas, and is now a Project Coordinator at IT firm Pomeroy.

BRONX, N.Y. — March 5, 2015 — Per Scholas graduate and local Bronx native Servon Lewis, 26, gave the opening speech at a national summit in Washington, D.C. on February 26 focused on creating more job and career opportunities for young people across the United States.

The event hosted by Opportunity Nation, a bipartisan coalition, convened over 1,000 attendees and featured elected officials, nonprofits, higher education institutions and businesses to discuss the major problems blocking economic, social and educational opportunity for young adults. Additional speakers included Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Chair of the House Republican Conference; U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez; Senator Cory Booker and others.

Servon Lewis graduated from the free IT job training program offered by Per Scholas in 2012. He was then accepted for a paid internship program offered to Per Scholas graduates by its corporate partner, Neuberger Berman, a private, employee-owned investment manager. He still works with the firm today and has received two promotions since the internship.

“We are proud Servon is on our team, where he is an important member of IT support, a critical function in the context of a firm managing $250 billion for clients globally,” said George Walker, Chairman and CEO of Neuberger Berman. “We met Servon through our support of Per Scholas—one of many community partners. What commenced as a 10-week internship was quickly extended to a nine-month assignment and became a full-time role given Servon’s deep commitment to excellence and his strong communication and technical skills. He has made our firm a better place, helping us continue to serve our clients.”

“I want to work. I want to succeed. And, you know what? I’m good at what I do!” Lewis shared with the audience as he told the story of his childhood in the Bronx Monroe housing projects and his personal journey to professional achievements driven by determination and hard work. “I’m sharing this today because we need more companies like Neuberger Berman willing to partner with more programs – like Per Scholas – to make sure that the talent which exists within our communities is being reached and the opportunity made accessible.”

Currently, young adults ages 16-24 face unemployment rates nearly twice the national average and nearly six million youth are neither in school nor working. Opportunity Nation seeks to expand economic opportunity and close the opportunity gap by amplifying the work of its coalition members and advocating policy and private sector actions. The 2015 National Opportunity Summit was hosted by Opportunity Nation and Co-convened Business Roundtable (BRT), JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates), U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and United Way Worldwide.

Per Scholas is a national nonprofit organization offering free, high quality technology education, job training, placement and career development opportunities to people in underserved communities. Since 1998, more than 5,000 unemployed and underemployed adults (18+ years old) have enrolled in its job training programs. Servon Lewis was previously featured following a similar speech he gave at the Per Scholas 2013 ROI Corporate Dinner. For more information visit perscholas.org and Facebook.