A large majority of Per Scholas graduates begin their IT careers through short and long-term contract work. IT staffing agencies and managed service providers such as ASI, Unisys, Harvey Nash, Robert Half, Peak Systems, Insight Global and many more turn to Per Scholas for talent on projects with some of their biggest clients. Insight Global wrote us this week to pass along the praises from one of their Fortune 500 clients.

From the employer to Insight Global:

“I wanted to take some time to recognize your team for the great job they have done during our refresh yesterday and last evening.

HP team of polite and knowledgeable technicians/installers lead by Alton McCarthy (pictured, 2012 graduate) came to our banking center yesterday and replaced our workstations and printers. I was impressed by their expertise and their ability to manage the entire process. Alton and his team were happy to be there to help us through our transition and have patiently explained the process to us. They asked for our input and did not disrupt our end of day activities in any way. Although we feared that we would have some issues with the systems , this morning we came in and everything was set up exactly the way we wanted it.

It is nice to have the opportunity to work with a team of people who are excited about their job and eager to make their customers happy. Alton and his team went above and beyond in their effort to make our experience with HP a positive one.

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to have this team at my location. I hope their excellent work ethics and dedication will not go unnoticed.”

These compliments warm our hearts. We are very proud of Alton for representing himself and his fellow classmates so well, and we applaud Alton’s Per Scholas instruction team as well for their contributions. It’s strong work ethic expressed by the employer above that results in 80% of our graduates landing jobs following our IT job training.

Interested in hiring a student similar to Alton for your team and projects? Get in touch with our employment services team.

Our Women in Tech class is creating quite the buzz. First the Bronx Free Press story and now CompTIA. The company wrote a post to their IT Career Blog featuring Per Scholas graduate Mary Ellen Foye who recently graduated with the fifth all-women’s class in Per Scholas history. She caught the attention of CompTIA by earning perfect scores on her A+ exams — a rare achievement, not just among our student body. We are proud of Mary Ellen for her achievement and thank CompTIA for sharing her success.

It’s the norm for parents to take their children to school. But Yulonda Stevens took her son Sharod to school — to enroll in class with her. The Stevens family made Per Scholas a family affair.

“My son and I applied together and were both accepted together, in the same class. Now we study together, quiz each other. He helps me figure out problems I don’t understand, and I help him.” Yulonda shared. The Stevens family is the first in Per Scholas history (to our best knowledge) to have a mother and son in one class. Sure, plenty refer family members once they graduate — but to take this on side by side? It’s kind of adorable.

Yulonda, 51, always wanted to branch into the technology industry but feared putting her job on hold to take the plunge, so never did. Her career spanned decades working in finance but following the economic downturn, Yulonda experienced not one but two layoffs. Per Scholas was the answer to her prayers after over two years without work strained the family finances. It also opened a long-awaited door to pursue a personal passion. She brought Sharod along with her to enroll knowing technology was a field wide open with opportunity and the route for a stable future.

Her story is not an unusual one these days for so many Americans who have been negatively affected by the recession. Many students around Yulonda’s age who were loyal employees, committed to their respective careers, come to us needing a new 21st-century skill set, recognizing the evolution of today’s job market. By Per Scholas offering a free training for jobs in one of the most in-demand industries, it gives this productive population of our local workforce the “new economy” skills to reinvent themselves and contribute again, as they always have. It’s a win-win for all.

Following training and the completion of her CompTIA A+ certification, Yulonda hopes to begin in an entry-level role, potentially with Per Scholas employer partner JPMorgan Chase where she is currently in interviews, and work up to network security on her new career track. Yulonda has her eye set on the advanced certifications offered to Per Scholas graduates free of charge courtesy of the Creating IT Futures Foundation. She will pursue the Security+ certification in the coming months following her core training.

“My grandkids love that grandma is in school, just like them. It used to be me asking what they were learning in school and how their school day went,” she laughs. “Now it is them asking me.”

In addition to Yulonda’s family learning approach, she was recognized by the Per Scholas staff in Columbus as the stand-out student to feature this month. She repeatedly scores high marks on her quizzes, with a laser-focused dedication to master the material. She attends class every single day, always coming in on time. And most importantly, she brings the best attitude. The moment you speak with her, you can tell that it’d be hard to wipe a smile off her face.

“I’m so happy to be here. Our class is like a large family. We laugh every day. We help each other every day. We have study groups to support one another on the weekends — even our instructor Mr. Miao attends. Everyone is invested in the success of everyone else.” The feeling is mutual — we couldn’t be happier to have her in our Per Scholas family, too.

Yulonda graduated with her son and fellow classmates from the second class of Per Scholas Columbus on April 12 (see pictures). From now on, if you have a problem with your computer, just call the Stevens’ house. Someone there will likely be able to fix it.

Return to read other Student of the Month features.

We are grateful to have met Sara Yarbrough. A reminder of how deeply the work at Per Scholas matters, she is an inspiration to anyone, no matter their walk of life. Sara graduated February 13 with the current all-women’s class and she is our student of the month. “Sara is my greatest achievement,” Jose Jurado, the class’ Career Development instructor says with emotion in his eyes. “A night and day difference from when she came here 15 weeks ago. The most improved student ever, by far.”

Sara came to New York City at the age of 18 from Honduras to fulfill the American Dream, to be something, be more. She had fire in her belly to achieve great things but like many who move to New York with the big dream, a bumpy road is often what greets us. “I was working retail and so unfulfilled. I snapped out of it one day and said, ‘Sara, you are not here to do retail. You came to be somebody.’” Who would have thought the Persian Gulf War would inspire her next move?

In 1991 she joined the United States Army. She met her future husband, got married, and started a family which now includes two children she adores. She later completed her bachelor’s degree and continued with the Army. In 2004 she was shipped out for an 18 month tour in Iraq. Her job? Human Intelligence Collector (also known as an interrogator). A heavy, taxing job for a wife and mother to two, we have no doubt. She finished her service and returned to civilian life.

“Readjusting was hard. I had lost my rhythm, I couldn’t just return to my life,” she pauses, and with noticeable hesitation adds, “I had to go through post-traumatic stress treatment, to therapy.” Her marriage also crumbled after she returned from active duty and ended shortly after. And it was not just because Sara was going through a hard time. She shared, with difficulty, she had been in an abusive relationship. “He never physically hit me, it wasn’t physical, but I swear, the emotional abuse I think is just as bad. He would tell me I was a good for nothing, a piece of (expletive removed). He would spit in my face. And that was all I heard, so I believed it,” she pauses, “If I did not have children, I would not be alive.”

Since her return from active duty in 2005, and while raising her children as a single mother following her divorce, Sara has been battling a deep and all-consuming depression. “I have tried for seven years to get my life back on track. I tried going back to school for my master’s and just lost myself. I was drowning, face down in water — and it wasn’t until I found Per Scholas that I was ever brought up for air.”

Through the Veterans Affairs center she found Per Scholas late last year. She put all her hope and energy into believing that Per Scholas was going to be the turning point in her life. “I was not going to quit, I was not going to fail. I couldn’t because my daughter and son deserve to see that I am a success story so they don’t repeat what happened to me.”

In her first few weeks at Per Scholas, Sara could not get through the day (or even the morning) without breaking into tears. The years of emotional abuse and the scars from fighting in a war had settled deeply into her core. The training staff responded, giving Sara the support she needed to break this cycle for good.

“Mr. Jurado gave me a book called Your Erroneous Zones when he saw the state I was in — after I had broken down crying to him for the, I don’t know, tenth time in a row,” she laughs now. “He would tell me over and over again that I had to stop listening to that negative voice in me and break it down.” She speaks triumphantly, “This would not have worked anywhere else. Nowhere else provided the support, the caring, the safe environment to get me out of this place. Per Scholas is my rebirth.”

Sara’s IT Instructor, Maureen Monaghan, threw as much work at Sara as she could take. The need to be busy and remain focused and never slow down was key to Sara’s progress. She would stay late until the school closed, and Ms. Monaghan would stick around until then, too.

The dress code at Per Scholas forced Sara to retire the uniform she had been wearing for seven years: jeans and a t-shirt. At Per Scholas, professional attire is required — our students have to treat class like they are coming into work. “I was so uncomfortable the first several days wearing these clothes. I felt people were looking at me. And the truth is they were looking at me, so I realized I had to change and play this role and act how I was dressed because, in reality, I am being evaluated. So I changed.”

Being in an all-women’s class contributed to her transformation as well, she says. From her long past in the military, Sara was always “hanging with the boys” and always felt drawn to and more comfortable in that environment. Here, among women, she was forced to evaluate herself and evaluate other women. “When I saw something in another classmate that I didn’t like, I realized for the first time — I didn’t like it because it was a reflection of me, it was a shortcoming of mine. And we were here to change that. Women are so strong and we never give ourselves the credit.”

How someone can break a seven year cycle of depression in 15 weeks is still astounding to us. But the transformation is undeniable. Sara is already A+ certified prior to her graduation, in final interviews with a handful of prospective employers, and she is finishing what she started for the first time in years.

“I have not seen this Sara in so long and it is so good to see her again. I am back to the strong person I came [to New York City] being. I have found myself again and I say to the world, ‘Try and stop me now.’”

UPDATE: Sara Yarbrough was hired by the New York Stock Exchange’s U.S. Veteran Associate Program and began her role on June 3, 2013. She will be providing telecomm support on the infamous trading floor. This is the first time the company has hired a Per Scholas graduate. Sara is making history — for Per Scholas and, most importantly, herself. We could not be more excited.

Our students never cease to amaze us. Anita Bailey, current student in the Women in Tech Program, is singing with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir this Monday at President Obama’s 2013 Inauguration.

We must admit our jaws dropped upon hearing this exciting news from Anita. For one, she gets to witness and be a part of a moment that gets placed in American history. Heck, she may even get to shake the President’s hand. And two, she is a member of the world-famous, Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir! We had no idea! Our students come to us from all walks of life with an infinite amount of talents, passions, and life experiences. We take great pride in their accomplishments — past, present and future — and are so proud to have Anita in our Per Scholas family.

Anita will be practicing with the choir all weekend before heading to D.C. on Sunday. She can rest easy and relish in the moment from start to finish because she has her tech studies well under control. She passed the first part of her A+ certification exam this week (the first in her class to do so) and will graduate with her class two weeks from now certified and job ready. The employers will come knocking to snatch her up, we have no doubt.

The Inauguration will air on national television Monday, January 21, at 11:30 a.m. The 280-member choir will be performing on stage a portion of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Keep your eyes peeled for the Per Scholas student.

To Anita: We are over the moon excited for you. Congratulations. And… tell Obama “Hi” from Per Scholas. Thanks.

“I believe in touching people’s hearts in times of need.”

That is what Robert Maseda, this month’s featured student, wrote to Per Scholas staff immediately following Hurricane Sandy as he organized a team of volunteers for post-Sandy relief. Robert created his team with New York Caresand invited everyone at Per Scholas to join. Every weekend since then, Robert and his team have spent all their free time helping the victims of Sandy recover.

Robert was born in the South Bronx, a tough place to grow up. I couldn’t help wondering how he became the cheerful, inspiring man he is. “This is a neighborhood I can help make better,” he replied instantly. “If everyone gave a little to help, the whole world would be a better place — One person at a time.” A father to five girls; owner of a rescued dog (and one fish, he adds); a heavily involved school parent committee member— the size of this man’s heart is enormous, and it shows.

Robert came to Per Scholas after watching the success of his wife Elizabeth, a 2011 graduate. Since completing her training at Per Scholas, Elizabeth has landed a job and done very well at Peak Systems. For Robert, having Elizabeth by his side proved a real benefit in training. “I would watch and learn from Elizabeth and whatever I didn’t know I would just Google it. I didn’t know that’s how the professionals really do it,” he laughed. “Technology is global. It’s a language that’s the same for the whole world. Learning it opens up so much.”

Robert began class at Per Scholas nearly 15 weeks ago. On the third day, he decided the class needed a name: TEAM RHINO. Atypical of past classes, I had to ask why. “Rhinos are thick skinned, humble, and when they need to charge, they have tunnel vision and knock everything out of their way. Nothing stops them.” But what started as a joke quickly became a source of class pride. Robert helped get his classmates fired up and ready for any challenge.

“Robert motivated all the students in Cycle 11 from his first day in class,” shared Frank Mallia, the class’ tech instructor. “He worked with two students in particular who were failing the course during the first few weeks of training and tutored them in his free time. Both student’s grades improved dramatically and both are now on track to graduate with their classmates in January.”

Who is this guy, right? Superhuman do-gooder. Why isn’t he running for office?

We are happy to share the news that Robert has already landed a job and began working a few weeks shy of the last day of class (a departure we do not discourage). He’ll be back for his graduation during the first week of January, where he will deliver the valedictory speech. We can already predict that it will be inspiring.

Read more student stories.

We are super excited to introduce the first Student of the Month from our first-ever class in Per Scholas | Columbus. Meet Edgardo Cornejo.

Edgardo moved to Columbus in mid-June from Florida with his wife and two children to be closer to family. Edgardo was born in Peru, and has been in the U.S. for over 20 years. Edgardo is determined to get back to his career roots — technology. Edgardo was a programmer back in the mainframe days, and then had a small computer business in Tampa where he built, upgraded and serviced computers. Edgardo chose Per Scholas primarily because he could sharpen his technology skills and earn his A+ certification at no cost to him — a price that is right considering his current financial situation.

Edgardo currently works as a chef in a hotel in downtown Columbus. Though we discourage students from working while in our training, which is a full-time commitment with a strict attendance policy, Edgardo insisted he could manage it. After all, he says, “I’ve worked multiple jobs [at once] since I was a teenager,” and gave his word he would never miss a class, never be late, and never leave early. Indeed, Edgardo has kept his word with perfect attendance and a positive energy everyday emerging as a leader in class. He is determined to return to the career that he loves.

“When you meet someone like Edgardo and see the enormous potential, you’re immediately reminded that Per Scholas matters and has a tremendous impact. Edgardo has all the traits an employer needs and wants — rock solid work ethic, a true passion for learning, and unwavering commitment to achieve goals — he just needed an opportunity to prove himself. He will achieve great things returning to IT,” Andrea Applegate, Director of Per Scholas | Columbus, attested.

Edgardo and his 19 classmates are the first class of Per Scholas | Columbus and finish training December 14, 2012. We look forward to seeing Edgardo create one of many first success stories in Columbus in the near future. Best of luck to Edgardo and the entire class!

Read more student stories.

With the chaos of Hurricane Sandy gradually passing, Per Scholas is happy to be getting back to normal and even more eager to share the story of an inspiring Per Scholas graduate. Michelle Harper-vanRabenswaay looks like many of the faces we have seen of individuals hit hard by the economic recession. Michelle had a lifelong career up to 2011 loyal to one employer, a non-profit in Flushing, New York, for almost 25 years. With no clear explanation, her position was dissolved and Michelle was let go.

Michelle didn’t collect unemployment. Instead she maintained a part time retail job at the The Container Store working nights a few days out of the week. This transition was a far cry from her 9:00-5:00 office life helping to operate a non-profit. Although this was a hardship for Michelle, she viewed it as a choice to carry her into the next phase of her career.

Michelle found Per Scholas in early 2012, fortunately shortly after her job ended. She continued working nights at The Container Store and came to class every morning, on-time. She killed it in tech class. With the vast majority of Per Scholas students coming in as beginners her instructor wondered, “Where the heck did this come from?” Well, while at her last job she learned a lot from the sole IT person on staff, the IT Director. She watched and learned, and began working out issues of her own by trial-and-error. She pushed herself a little more with some side classes and over time became the default #2 support person the staff turned to when issues arose. Over the nine years following, Michelle was responsible for huge projects like creating the Active Directory infrastructure and transitioning the agency from on-site to outsource IT support. “I’ve always had an investigative mind developed by my mother and I realized that IT is my real passion. I am constantly curious about how tech works and find incredible rewards when I solve a new problem or learn about a new technology. It’s a skill that can never be taken away from me which is empowering.”

Armed already with skills most any employer would find valuable, Michelle found the ticket to her success was the professional development training — our Life Skills course which readies our students with a marketable résumé, on-the-job etiquette, interview skills, and most infamous, the 60-second pitch. “I practiced my 60-second pitch literally every day. It’s amazing how hard it is to talk about yourself. The life skills training gave me so much confidence in myself and made all the difference in making my job search effective. I have Mr. Naser to thank for getting me to where I am.”

“Michelle had the best attitude in class every day. I knew from her acceptance of new methods and diligence toward carving herself into an outstanding professional through Life Skills class it would result in her having huge success in the pursuit of her IT career,” her Career Developer Elias Naser shared about Michelle.

So where is Michelle today, you might ask. In the Per Scholas history books, that’s where! Michelle is the first Per Scholas student to be hired by the global financial service provider Barclays. She began her new full-time, permanent job this week as a Global Technology Analyst. The company expresses Michelle will not be their last hire from Per Scholas either. Michelle wanted to especially thank the leadership of Per Scholas board member Joe Squeri, CIO of Barclays Wealth and Corporate Bank, for opening a door and Louis Berrios and Nicole Wuerslin, the employment specialist team at Per Scholas who connected Michelle with the opportunity. And of course, her tech instructor Mr. Washington because without teachers in our lives, there would be no professions.

This is Michelle’s first step into Corporate America after nearly 25 years in non-profit. She’s excited to have been given the opportunity — and at the age of 50, she’s an inspiration to anyone that you never give up on achieving your aspirations.

Read more student success stories.

Were some of you wondering whether we train any women at Per Scholas?… You bet we do. Janea Wilkerson is the September student of the month and couldn’t be more proud to be the first woman featured.

I personally had never met a female tackle football player until I met Janea. I didn’t know a professional female league even existed. Janea enlightened me with a full history (the New York Sharks is one of the best franchises in the nation). Janea is familiar with pursuing a male dominated dream. Whether sports or the tech industry, she faces the gender disparity head on. “If anyone out there ever tells you ‘You cannot do,’ you can do. That’s how I live.”

It’s a message more women need to hear. The CRA Taulbee Survey found less than 12% of Computer Science degrees were awarded to women in 2010-11. Where my girls at?! Twelve percent is alarming. The Fifth & Pacific Foundation (formerly Liz Claiborne) and New York Women’s Foundation are committed to empowering women and provide dedicated funding to help Per Scholas serve more women to address this disparity. In our first year offering a women-only program option, more than 100 women enrolled, just under a third of the student population. Interested in applying for courses? Click here.

Janea started class with a knee injury. She tore a ligament while playing football. If you have lived in New York City with any restriction on your mobility, even for a short time, then you can probably guess what Janea endured to travel an hour by subway, making it on time to training each morning. The doctor told her to stay off stairs: for most of us, New York City is stairs, stairs and more stairs.

But being in the classroom was Janea’s top priority. “I have a lot of college debt and still no degree. You are going to teach me — at no cost? — I’m going to be there.” She was drawn to technology in particular after helping a nonprofit create its website. “I would forget to eat lunch, go to bed. Time would just pass working on this stuff and that is when I realized I was hooked.” She came to Per Scholas to learn much more, to open the world of technology and begin seeing firsthand how it all worked.

Seeing Janea’s potential, her instructor Obinna has helped her learn more about network administration and web hosting, key skills to bookend her web design savvy. “I feel he intentionally throws things into his sessions meant just for me. He’ll be like ‘this can be used for USER WEB HOSTING. WEB HOSTING…’ look right at me, smirk, and then carry on. It means a lot to have that encouragement.”

Today, with a few weeks left to go, Janea has already completed and passed Part One of her A+ certification. Part two is next, followed by the MCTS.

Oh — and then there’s that pesky surgery for her knee on November 1. With a nervous smile, she sees the extra deadline as one more motivation to finish everything she came to Per Scholas to achieve. You go, girl!

Read more student success stories.

“People say I’m a machine,” Allen says, “I hope I can get some of my sister’s creativity. She is into fashion.”

Allen Wan is a boy genius (we think). He first came to Per Scholas when he was still just 17 years old. We couldn’t admit him then, because our program serves adults 18 years or older — but we knew his application was worth keeping. We called Allen in for class just after his 18th birthday.

Allen made history at Per Scholas by becoming the first graduate hired by Goldman Sachs — a company legendary for its grueling and lengthy hiring process. Moreover, this is Allen’s first job, and now his life is going to change forever.

Allen currently lives with his parents and younger sister in the Samuel Gompers Houses, a public housing project in the Lower East Side. His mother was born and raised in the Bronx and his father from Malaysia. Allen was already known by his neighbors as “the tech guy” well before he came to Per Scholas. As he described it, “I was helping out my neighborhood by teaching a class on how to do basic computing. We have a lot of elderly in my area. I would teach them about technology and what it means and how it can make your life a little bit easier.”

Typically, Allen is modest about his achievements, giving credit to many of his classmates for their support. “In Cycle 6 we have so many great people like Don, Greg, Gustav, Angel and many others I feel deserve Student of the Month. They along with Mr. Jurado [Allen’s Career Developer] did a lot of work with me, gave me a lot of life training.” Cycle 6 IT Instructor Maureen Monaghan also singled out Allen’s classmates for being his mentors and role models. “This was a team effort,” she says, “Everyone involved should be proud of helping to make Per Scholas history.”

Allen begins his new job as a Goldman Sachs Test Engineer later this month. But like an increasing number of graduates, he also plans to stay involved in Per Scholas. That shouldn’t be difficult, given his new company’s multiple touchpoints with our work already, including board-level leadership and major financial support that makes stories like Allen’s possible. We wish him every success!

Read more student stories.