“My daughter has been helpful in this process. She has kept me focused. I need to be able to provide her a better childhood.”

Family means everything to Reggie. He speaks highly and often of his mother and father. Born and raised in the Bronx, his house was the go-to spot among all of his friends growing up. “My parents were parents to all of my friends.” When Reggie became a father himself, he was raised to know to take that job seriously. “I appreciate what my parents and family gave me which motivates me to want to do better for my daughter.”

As a teenager and young adult he travelled the country performing music, and loved it. “Being on a stage. Feeding off an audience. There is nothing like it.” Reggie held down jobs around his performance schedule, usually low-paying porter and sales positions. He had his eye set on college, to begin working toward a career. Like so many, though, he couldn’t afford it and stopped taking classes after a year and a half.

His mother pointed him to Per Scholas. Because the time commitment doesn’t allow for many candidates to work and go to class simultaneously, his first reaction was, “I couldn’t do it. I needed a job. I needed money.” He took another security job instead—only to get laid off along with 40 others. The opportunity resurfaced and it was his girlfriend who pushed him and encouraged him. She told him this was an opportunity to grow. She made sacrifices, they did together, and he enrolled. “She was happier than me on my graduation day,” he laughs. “She knew the importance. She knew what this meant.” Per Scholas was an opportunity to have a career, not just a job.

Getting to the finish line and graduating was not easy for Reggie. The strict attendance policy was a daily hurdle, but one he respected to get him job ready. “You know that movie with Will Smith called the ‘Pursuit of Happyness’? That was me on some days.” Referring to the scene where Will Smith, a single parent living in a shelter, is competing in a non paid internship that could earn him a job at the company. On his way for the first day, he gets hit by a car, loses his shoe, but keeps running at a dead sprint to make it on time.

That was Reggie. To get to class, he would drop his daughter off at school in West Harlem and sprint across town to catch the east side subway to Per Scholas. Hurrying his 4-year-old daughter along, he’d explain, “Daddy has to get to school, too!” Once, he says he almost got taken out by a car… But he kept going. He would show up to class in a complete sweat, he shares.

“There were too many people at stake for me to fail. I don’t know what I would have done if I had disappointed them.” His friends and family were invested in his success. Throughout the 14 weeks of training, everyone chipped in with childcare, metro fare, meals, and motivation.

Reggie was a self-proclaimed day dreamer, at least when it came to high school and college (he specifically called out sociology: “Come on, how can you not day dream in that class?”). Class was often not interesting to him. That is why he valued what Per Scholas offered so much. “The knowledge you guys have in this building is crazy.” He is referring to the instructors who together bring decades of industry experience and are veterans of teaching. “You learn something new every day. The teaching style is delivered in a way that you can’t lose interest. You want to participate.”

When asked why technology piqued his interest, he responded with: “What year did Nintendo come out?” He laughs and continues to recall the vivid memory of the day a computer was brought home. Mavis Beacon, Jeopardy and Carmen San Diego games on a floppy disc are name dropped one after the other. AOL and dial-up internet follow. Napster music downloading. And so on. Reggie goes through the timeline and evolution of modern-day technology — memories fond to many born in the 80s. When software evolved to support music production, he taught himself everything he could. Coming to Per Scholas allowed him to take that natural curiosity and talent and make it a formal skill. He lit up about knowing the technical terms to articulate what he had been guessing for so many years.

Since graduating Reggie has wrapped up an internship with computer literacy organization IGotITToo where he teaches classes to seniors and young adults while also maintaining the labs and a contract position with Robert Half Technology. He most recently started a new position with American Dream Charter School in the Bronx as Tech Support. And of course, “I fix everyone’s computers now. Everyone comes to me.”

To sum it up super cheesy, Reggie is pursuing happiness.

Nyaisha is 21 and works at one of the largest multinational corporations in the world: Xerox. It goes without saying that Nyaisha is smart. But, she is so much more than tech smart; this girl has vision way beyond her years.

Nyaisha grew up in the Bronx with her parents and her younger brother. At age 18, when all of her friends were saying “yes” to expensive four-year colleges and universities, Nyaisha pressed pause. She knew that investing in an expensive education would be fruitless unless she truly knew what she wanted to do first.

“I know a lot of people that rushed into college because that’s what their parents wanted them to do. A lot of them dropped out or got pregnant,” she says. Success, according to Nyaisha, is about experience and skills.

Nyaisha radiates optimism and drive. Her mom and dad were young parents living in the Bronx, but still finished college and pursued careers, showing Nyaisha and her brother that hard work pays off.

In her late teens and early 20s, Nyaisha did some serious self exploration instead of jumping into college. She had always loved technology, but wasn’t sure how to get her foot in the door. “I already knew I wanted to be in the IT industry but I didn’t know how to get in without going to college.”

Instead, after graduating high school, Nyaisha enrolled in two job readiness programs that connected her with internships, but she was concerned that she wasn’t learning the hard skills needed to succeed in the competitive New York tech scene. One day she received an email from Per Scholas community partner NYCHA, the New York City Housing Authority, promoting a free A+/Net+ certification and IT job training course with job placement services. Curious and optimistic, Nyaisha jumped on the opportunity and applied to Per Scholas. Nyaisha enrolled in the Women in Tech class at Per Scholas and her journey to a career in technology was underway. She gravitated to Per Scholas’ all-women’s class because of competitive spirit. “I have always loved technology and actually like that it’s a male-dominated field. I’m competitive. I love being a girl who’s told: ‘You can’t do that’ just so I can prove them wrong.”

At Per Scholas, Nyaisha found the course challenging like most students. “Literally each day is precious. Even if you miss one day, you miss a world of information.” She enjoyed the hands-on learning environment, and recognized that the skills-based training at Per Scholas was the key to honing her tech chops and landing a permanent position in the industry.

After completing the course, Nyaisha was a certified tech — and proud of it. “Now saying that I am A+ and Net+ certified, it really means a lot.”

Upon graduation Nyaisha landed a job with Xerox. Although it was difficult transitioning into the workforce, especially navigating office culture, she now says that life is good. “I have a great rapport with all of my co-workers. I take pride in my job.”

Before Per Scholas, she was making minimum wage. Today she is working in her first-ever tech job earning three times that. Her advice for future Women in Tech grads? “No matter how hard it is, stick with it. At the end of the day, it will pay off.”

This year at the annual Robin Hood Foundation Benefit, world-renowned journalist Katie Couric took the stage in front the A-list 4,000 person audience to introduce the story of Per Scholas graduate King Oquendo. As the jumbo screens cued his story, King watched from his seat among the rest at the Benefit. “I couldn’t believe it. Katie Couric said my name!”

His story brought the house down and the spotlight went on him as he stood and waved to the crowd who was now cheering him on.

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.

Chris is living proof of how determination, hard work, and an open mind can lead to a pretty sweet life. His journey is remarkable.

When Chris was 19, he had held hourly wage jobs at Walmart and NAPA Auto Parts. He attempted to take a few college classes but was intimidated and discouraged, especially by the cost. He felt lost.

One morning he awoke and something was very wrong. He couldn’t move a single muscle in his body. His mom had already left for work for the day and came home hours later to find him in this state. Alarmed, she rushed Chris to the hospital. The diagnosis was a rare disease–Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. It left Chris paralyzed for a year and a half.

Chris loved sports and had been an athlete his entire life. Physically, he towered over his peers. That he now lay helpless was almost too much to bear.

The only hope he could latch onto was that the condition wouldn’t be permanent. As he slowly recovered, Chris was advised to find a routine to help get his body back to a schedule, know the days of the week, re-familiarize itself with the passing of time. He needed to mentally readjust as much as physically.

“My grandma forwarded me this email about classes at Per Scholas. She knew I loved computers.” So, he applied to the IT-Ready course in Columbus. Only two months after gaining his mobility back, he began attending class full-time Monday through Friday. This consistent routine, Chris said, helped save his life.

“It was a big life adjustment going from zero to 60. Per Scholas helped me more than just getting a job. They were people I could talk to, they listened and they helped me. Per Scholas got me back to normal,” Chris said. He started from the beginning learning tech in the classroom and loved it. He says his instructor, James Miao, is the greatest teacher he has ever had.

Soon after graduating and getting A+ certified came the job search. Getting interviews was difficult, he said. “With no tech experience, it was hard to be taken seriously.” He already had strong customer service skills, but bridging the experience gap was a challenge.

Undeterred, he put his resume on CareerBuilder.com and other job sites. Soon after, a company actually reached out to himwith an opportunity with Per Scholas Signature Partner JPMorgan Chase. With everything he learned in class, Chris was ready to nail the interview. “All the questions were word for word what we were taught at Per Scholas. I just pictured my career coach John [Tyus] asking me the questions and it made me less nervous.” He got the callback two days later and started work the following week.

In a matter of months, he went from bedridden to tech professional, a truly transformative experience. “This time a year ago, I had just started my recovery. I can’t believe it,” he says.

In his early 20s, he is now earning more certifications and a salary he never thought would be possible. He works on JPMorgan Chase’s global help desk. He supports workers around the world, troubleshooting tech issues from London to India to China and Australia. Along the way, he has to master many nuances: “Asking someone to type something in ‘lower case’ doesn’t translate in India. You have to say ‘small.’ When I’m on a call in London, they never say goodbye. They tend to repeat the word OK over and over while you try to say goodbye. That took some adjusting to.”

When we spoke with him recently, he was on his way to go pick up his new car and was expecting his first raise–a substantial one.“All my friends are still in school and don’t know what to do with life. I feel like an old man around them.”

Chris works hard to be a role model. He is passionate about community engagement, and volunteers at his old high school to speak to students about career advancement opportunities outside of the traditional college path. “I am really happy to have this job. After everything I went through, I’m humble. I’m grateful.”

“I was someone who had a lot of things against them. There were a lot of things I had to overcome while I was at Per Scholas but I didn’t let anything stop me. Per Scholas’ message is you can do anything. And it’s true. You can do anything.”

Nsia is smart; she’s tough. She’s a hard worker. She loves electronics. And, she’s taken all these attributes to launch her tech career at University of Maryland University College.

After high school, Nsia attended Grambling State University in Louisiana, pursuing a Bachelors in Engineering Technology. While at college, she became pregnant with a baby boy. Despite all the obstacles of having a newborn at home and her entire family in Maryland while going to school full time, Nsia completed her degree.

After college, however, the road to a career was not a smooth one. The tech field requires hands-on experience through internships. Because she had to work to provide for her son during college, Nsia didn’t have the time or resources to work at an unpaid internship position. She worked in a retail job for a year, but knew that it was not a job that would be able to support her long-term.

Nsia says she draws her strength from her mother, who moved to the States from Trinidad to raise her eight children. She knew no one when she arrived. Nsia says, “Although it was stressful, every time I thought of her I knew I could do it, too.”

After a year of job searching in Louisiana, Nsia moved back to Maryland to be closer with her family and to continue pursuing her career in tech. She says, “I don’t let anything stop me from getting me where I want to be.” Almost immediately after she was back in the National Capital Region, she found Per Scholas.

“I thought Per Scholas would be good. But, I didn’t know it was going to be this good,” she says. “When you hear ‘free,’ you don’t think you are going to get any perks. But, it was so different. It was a good different.”

At Per Scholas, Nsia really appreciated the help that the instructor provides to navigate through the challenging and dense technical material. She credits the career development portion of the training for helping her truly prepare for the workforce. “It really opened my eyes. It helped me become who I am today.”

Her best moment of the whole experience? The day before graduation, Nsia learned that she had passed her A+ certification exam. She was proud because she had passed on the first try and could immediately start looking for a job. “I knew that was the next step in my life.”

Now Nsia is working as a Technical Support Analyst at UMUC and saving up for a life with her boyfriend and son.

“My biggest accomplishment is getting into a great field while also taking care of my son. It’s all a blessing because I see how much I have achieved,” she says. “Anything is possible. Although it sounds cliche, once you put your mind to something, you can do it. No matter what anybody says, do it anyway.”

Scanning the giant cork board at the employment center in Columbus, Ohio, Joetta found the postcard advertising Per Scholas’ CompTIA A+ training. There were hundreds of postings with similar education and job training opportunities, but Joetta decided to give Per Scholas a chance. She grabbed the postcard along with a few others. Skeptical of the “free” statement the Per Scholas course offered, she said to herself, “If it’s no more than $10,000, I can probably pull the funds together to make it work.”

Joetta was determined to launch a career in technology and breakaway from the seasonal tax worker job she relied on for income in the past. With a teenage son, she wanted to provide him a path to college that wasn’t burdened by the financial obstacles. Obstacles that were all too familiar to her. She relied on student loans in her previous attempt at college–from which she never obtained a degree, only some credits due to the extreme expense.

In each step of the application process to Per Scholas, Joetta continued to ask: Is there financial aid? What portions are not free? What will this cost me?

“I still to this day cannot believe everything I received from Per Scholas was offered free of charge to me. The quality of the certifications, the ongoing support from the staff, the instructor was so effective. Other places offering just the certifications charge $10,000 and up.” Joetta graduated in 2014 and within weeks was hired by our Signature Partner, Nationwide as a Help Desk Analyst. Her first job ever in I.T.

The employer-driven job training model at Per Scholas relies heavily on our relationships with the business sector. Through industry leadership, employee volunteers, donating resources and funding, and hiring our graduates Nationwide provides invaluable support Per Scholas students and graduates. Joetta can attest firsthand to the company’s exceptional commitment.

“When I was a few weeks into my training at Per Scholas, we were each assigned to a mentor from Nationwide. I stayed in touch with mine regularly. She was always so responsive. I kept her updated on my application process when I pursued the job. Now that I am there she is still constantly supporting me. We speak every two weeks.”

Both Michelle and a number of staff managers have encouraged Joetta on her journey. She has received positive feedback with regard to her quality of work and her strong work ethic. “Everyone is just so happy here. They work as a team here and I really love that.”

Joetta continuously surprised herself during the first few weeks on the job. For instance, she knew how to reset a password, set-up a ticket in the ticketing system, and set-up a new employee in the system. She told us, “‘I know that! I get that!’ It was great to get to use what I learned in class. Mr. Miao burned this knowledge into my brain,” she shares with pride.

Entering this process with skepticism and now a working graduate able to pay off her college loans, Joetta is now a natural ambassador and tells everyone she knows where she got her training: “Go to Per Scholas!” Her Aunt graduated from the course following her lead.

Joetta still stops by the Per Scholas offices and is always greeted with joy and support, “We never forget about you” they say. Joetta expressed, “It’s unbelievable to me. Other programs say that and fall short. At Per Scholas, they mean it.”

“That is part of why I can’t believe I got all of this for free! It’s too good to be true!”

Chrystal takes the bus to work every day in the D.C. metro area. Friendly as can be, she has chats with her bus driver and one day her driver asked what she did for a living and with pride she said she works in IT at a college. The bus driver confessed that technology is what she wished she was doing. Chrystal let her know “You can. Just go to Per Scholas.” They exchanged numbers, Chrystal provided the info immediately and the bus driver — Kia — applied that night.

This meant a lot to Chrystal. She has always loved encouraging people to push themselves, including herself.

After high school Chrystal attended college to study sociology. She successfully completed three years when she became pregnant with her son, Eli, and had to put school on hold. Once Eli was born she tried to finish school and also took on a job at Starbucks to help pay for tuition and bills. Being a new mother, full-time student, and working became too much. She had to stop her classes.

During this time Chrystal shared a small apartment with her mother, three siblings, and her baby. She describes her room as a corner in a den. She confesses that it was a very rough time in her life. She wasn’t proud of herself and knew she wanted more for her son. She just didn’t know how to get there.

Then she learned about Per Scholas while attending a workshop at local nonprofit A Wider Circle. The opportunity for free IT job training was shared with the group and she felt it was the answer. Chrystal applied to the IT training that very day.

Exposed to all ranges of TV systems, sound systems, gaming systems as a child, the idea of working in IT got her excited and she was elated when Per Scholas accepted her.

“I didn’t have money for daycare for my son. I didn’t really even have money for transportation for myself. Some days I didn’t have lunch. But it was worth the risk. I just believed everything would fall into place and work out — that I needed to be open to this opportunity and take this risk.” Chrystal’s mother and grandmother, friends and neighbors were able to help with Eli. Her boyfriend worked two jobs and was supportive of Chrystal seeing this through.

Chrystal also found a strong community of support and camaraderie at Per Scholas among her classmates, the staff, and instructors.

“I loved class. I looked forward to getting up every day and going to class.” The passion of her IT Instructor was infectious. The learning environment was unlike any other she had experienced compared to high school and college. It was supportive and she was encouraged to speak up and ask questions. Everyone was there learning from the beginning together and they supported one another along the way.

Her classmates were like a family to her. They would host study groups at home, cook dinner for one another. They pushed each other.

This was especially helpful when Chrystal began her job search following graduation, a process that can be discouraging for any level of professional. Interview after interview, she felt she did great only to be told she didn’t get the job. Like a broken record they all said no due to lack of experience. “It was so discouraging. It was hard to not be disappointed. My classmates would keep rooting me on, though. Everyone at Per Scholas did. Bridgette [Managing Director] checked in on me all the time and Peyton [Associate Director of Business Solutions] sent me job opportunities constantly. It’s what kept me going.”

Then a funny thing happened. A recruiter called her and said the employer wanted to hire her — no interview process needed. It was a short-term contract and they would keep those they wanted after a two-week trial. Twelve technicians were on the project. “I was doing everything right on the job, but I didn’t expect to get the job.” Out of the 12, three were kept on long-term — and Chrystal was one of those three. She joined the Help Desk team at Strayer University.

“I’m great at my job! I take pride in what I do. Coming only 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. I surprised myself by the drive I have. I constantly want to learn and I am so happy and blessed that I get to continue learning.”

Chrystal is excited to be an ambassador for Per Scholas and encourage others like her bus driver Kia that you can change your life. She is naturally drawn to encourage people, no matter who, to never give up on themselves, to believe they can overcome and achieve whatever it may be so long as they are open to it and make the effort.

“I have a job. I have a nice apartment. My son is smart, and I get to nurture that. I have resources and a stable work schedule that allow me to be there for him and support his growth.” Chrystal is beaming. “I was depressed and lost. And look at me now!”

Fifteen years in the restaurant service industry provided plenty to Jacob. Management skills, customer service savvy any employer would vie for, and–he met his wife. There were certainly a lot of positives, but Jacob was acutely aware he had to move on to find a career that could provide more fulfillment to him. Most importantly, he needed a career that could provide more to his family, which included two sons in addition to his wife. Working nights and weekends as the service industry demands doesn’t allow for family time around the dinner table or weekends for exploring. He was missing out on what mattered most to him.

Jacob always had a love for computers and technology. He knew that the technology sector had an abundance of opportunity for stable employment with good pay and high growth potential. He struggled, though, to turn that interest into a job.

In his early 20s, Jacob enrolled at a for-profit tech school. After almost two years he began to receive letters demanding payment on a $36,000 loan for the tuition, a surprise to him. The financial obligation was not explicitly outlined to him at the start of the program. That’s when the restaurant job became the go-to fallback to begin paying off the student loans. He would work 50 hours or more a week to keep up.

He made his second attempt to begin a professional career and completed his Associate’s degree a few years later. Continuing the job search, the only offers he received were service industry work despite the added credential. Nothing changed.

When visiting a Kentucky employment office, a representative handed Jacob a flyer outlining a program that provided free IT courses, career development, job placement, and CompTIA A+ certification. He was sold at the words “free” and “certification.” He had found Per Scholas.

At Per Scholas, Jacob thrived. He finished top of his class as Valedictorian and had a job waiting for him before he graduated with Per Scholas partner Pomeroy. He began his job as a Service Desk Analyst working on a client site, Proctor & Gamble, providing tech support at several of their campuses. In his role, P&G employees bring their computers to him and he solve issues like hardware repairs, Office and Outlook troubleshooting, networking repairs and the migration of software and files to newer technology replacement computers. He’s great as his job.

Let’s all be honest. IT professionals have a bad reputation for customer service skills. We can confirm this because all of our employer partners express customer service skills being more important than technical aptitude. Think about a waiter who you tipped generously? Now imagine that exceptional service when it comes to upgrading your phone or computer. Yeah, we’d love that, too. All those years in the service industry have served Jacob very well on the job.

The biggest advantage of his full-time job at Pomeroy is the stability that the 9-to-5 schedule offers him and his family, which now includes a baby boy born in October 2014.

“I’m home by dinner time every night. In the service industry, you never get those things,” he says. “I’m planning a family vacation for the summer. That’s never happened in my adult working life. It’s a really nice change.”

At Per Scholas we can often get distracted focusing only on the student impact — how many graduate, how many land a job, and what are the average salaries. What we can easily forget is the impact these new jobs and new salaries have on the quality of life and quality of family. Jacob is a wonderful reminder of the real impact.

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.