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.

Per Scholas graduates Sydney Almorales, Michael Stratton, Roderick Bradshaw, and Lidio Rodriguez were featured in the New York Times Neediest Cases series this winter. Read their stories below and learn of their journey to success through finding Per Scholas and utilizing resources from our partner Community Service Society.

Sydney Almorales: “From Caretaker to Computer Analyst Via a Nonprofit Technology School” by John Otis

Michael Stratton: “After Working in Film, a Queens Man Hopes for a Life in Technology” by Eleanor Stanford

Roderick Bradshaw: “In a Zig Zag, a Man Finds his Path to Success” by John Corrales

Lidio Rodriguez: “After Seeking Help, a Student Finds a Path to a Job” by John Otis

Kevin Gamble is the self-made Per Scholas recruiter around town in Columbus. An IT-Ready graduate from this past summer, Kevin is telling everyone he meets that Per Scholas will change your life.

“Do you know how much I promote this place?” he shared with me. “Just the other day, I was at the gas station and saw these two younger guys hanging around. I started talking to them and asked what they were doing with their life and you know, they weren’t working or they were but making minimum wage somewhere. Not doing much. So I gave them the information on Per Scholas and said, ‘Here, change your life. Go sign-up today.’”

Following his service in the United States Marine Corps, Kevin worked in the welding industry for over 20 years. Even so, he still faced stints of unemployment from time to time. Prior to Per Scholas, he was in a period where he was without steady work for nearly two years, largely due to limitations from his service-connected disability. Kevin found Per Scholas through an email about advancement opportunities from his veteran services representative. He immediately picked up the phone to call Per Scholas, spoke with the admissions team and proceeded to sell himself — or what we like to call his 60-second pitch. He professed that this would be an answer to a prayer for him.

And Kevin is exactly the type of individual we go seeking to train, so the enthusiasm was mutual. A natural tinkerer, Kevin shared the story of when he got his first computer — a deeply memorable moment for the typical Per Scholas student. “I traded in my camcorder at a pawn shop in 1989 for a desktop computer they had there.” And from there onward, he was a computer fanatic, taking it apart, figuring out where the ram chip goes, understanding how the mother board worked, letting his curiosity guide him. “I knew the ins and outs, I just needed the training and certification to make something of it all. Per Scholas was what I had been looking for.”

In the classroom, Kevin was just as assertive and curious, confessing he would ask questions every five seconds in class. “He was very motivated to make a better life for him and his family,” shared his Career Coach, John Tyus. Kevin wasn’t just motivated to improve his own life. A true Marine, he made sure no man or woman was left behind.

The class nickname was SEAL TEAM 6. “I named us that,” he laughs. “Our class set a record [for Per Scholas Columbus]. Everyone graduated, everyone passed. Everyone was a part of the success.”

Prior to graduating, Kevin updated his resume and was actively job searching. After he got his certification, he was getting four calls a day from recruiters, he said. He landed a short-term contract right away and is excited to be gaining experience in the IT field.

“Stay focused. Stay ambitious. There is plenty of opportunity out there for a person to be successful if you just try.”

Look out for Kevin around Columbus as he continues to promote Per Scholas. And maybe one day you will find him in your office troubleshooting your tech issues and you, too, can feel the infectious positive nature of the leader of SEAL TEAM 6.

“Once my kids were put to bed, I would job search. From 9:00 PM to 9:00 AM. I applied to more than 700 jobs–20 a day or more. I couldn’t find a job.”

Kombo Inko-Tariah is a graduate from the first Per Scholas National Capital Region IT-Ready class. Out of his 15 classmates, fifty-percent were long-term unemployed prior to enrolling. Among them, the average period since their last job was 19 months. When Per Scholas opened its doors this past spring in the National Capital Region (NCR) to offer its free IT-Ready job training and CompTIA A+ certification course, it was a saving grace.

“My reaction when I found Per Scholas was — ‘What?! A+ certification–for free?!’ It was awesome.” Kombo completed his Associate’s degree in Information Systems knowing he wanted a career in technology. He worked in software sales in a previous job, which sparked an interest in how that software actually got made and how it worked. Upon completing his degree, he thought the employers would come calling and grab him up knowing how in-demand tech jobs were.

“No one called.”

“Why do you think that is, Kombo?” I had to ask.

“It’s because I had no certifications.”

“How can you know that for sure?”

“The interviews I did have, the conversation ended after they asked me if I had certifications,” he enlightened me. “The day I completed my A+ at Per Scholas and updated my resume, I started getting calls like wildfire. Four recruiters called me that day. I didn’t even reach out to them. They found me and I was interviewing within the week.”

Kombo was one of many of his classmates to immediately begin work upon completing the 8-week training. He even bypassed the entry-level role he was initially considered for and jumped two levels to start work as a Project Implementation Specialist for the Social Security Administration. He credits much to the Per Scholas training team for this.

Kombo was not short of words in expressing gratitude to his tech instructor Adam Turner. “Adam taught me how to learn and was a very big inspiration to me,” Kombo went on, “He would stand for 8 hours a day, for 8 weeks straight, and teach us. Eight hours! He would stand! ‘How does he do it?’ I would ask myself. I have never been in a classroom where the teacher stands the entire time and teaches without stopping–for eight hours. He commanded my attention and I thought if he can do that for me, I can do my very best for him. It was motivating.”

In addition to tech training, Per Scholas students receive one day a week of career coaching throughout the course to ready resumes, practice interviewing, effectively job search and prepare to re-enter the workforce. H.Y. Griffin is the Career Coach in the NCR office and Kombo admitted, “We wouldn’t always take that part of the class as seriously. But then as I interviewed, I saw everything Griffin taught us… was right. I could speak intelligently and confidently about everything on my resume. I could defend my certification. We owe a lot to Griffin.”

Managing Director of the site Bridgette Gray was very hands-on with Kombo’s class as well–she personally nominated Kombo for this student of the month feature. “Bridgette never once used the word ‘fail’ with us. It was always ‘when you guys pass, when you land your job.’ She would never give up on any one of us no matter how much we could feel discouraged.”

Bridgette has the same to say about Kombo. In addition to thanking him for being our courtesy on-site photographer (fun fact, Kombo is an incredibly talented professional photographer), she lauded Kombo for his positive attitude, motivation, perseverance, and commitment to Per Scholas and his classmates. “Accepting Kombo into our inaugural class was one of the best decisions we made as a site. Kombo came in with so much determination, not only for himself, but for ALL of us. He was intent on EVERYONE being successful, which included staff. Post graduation, my professional relationship with Kombo has grown. I know he is eager to see Per Scholas succeed. He has consistently checked in with me on how the subsequent classes are doing, what can he do to support and has passed along tons of job leads. I feel so honored to not only call Kombo an alum of Per Scholas, but also a friend. Oh! and he takes one heck of a photograph.”

The highlight of our work at Per Scholas is getting to meet exceptional people like Kombo. He told a story toward the end of our conversation about his life’s journey. Originally from Nigeria, he had both a good life and a life of struggle. As a young child, he lived a life where he was never without until one day, it all went away. Suddenly, having enough to eat became a struggle. Disappointment, not having what other people had, was how Kombo described this enormous disruption in his life.

When he had a family, he never wanted them to be disappointed in him. He wanted to be different. He said where he comes from, working in the airline business is the job. He always dreamed of working for Virgin airlines. He tried his luck one day applying and was shocked when he got the job. “That first job changed me. My attitude shifted to be that I could get what I wanted no matter the circumstance. There will always be obstacles, failure, but it is like a tree in your path and there is a way to the other side of that tree.”

Thus far, Kombo has let this positive attitude guide him on his journey from struggle to success as an A+ certified IT professional, a father of three, and a proud contributing worker here in the U.S.

His eldest son is 11 and told his father that he prayed for him to pass his test so he could get a good job so that he could then go to a good college. Smart kid. His father did just that and is well on his way up a pathway of success.

“I cannot fail for my son. Just try harder.”

What began as an invitation for a student story quickly turned into more than Tiffany Lewin ever thought possible: being interviewed by Chelsea Clinton in front of 1,000 people, the whole Clinton family included. Queue the goose-bumps–and not just Tiffany’s. Everybody at Per Scholas, too. Her first time flying, Tiffany took off for Denver along with Per Scholas Executive Director of New York, Angie Kamath, and took the stage the second day of the meeting.

Tiffany contributed one-of-a-kind insight to the elite panel where she was joined by a CEO of a global company, a President of a college, a U.S. Secretary, and a founder of a local nonprofit. She was the sole representative on the stage speaking from a lens that always doesn’t get the spotlight: a young adult who was hungry for an opportunity and guidance. Tiffany came to Per Scholas at the age of 19 with no work experience, no income, no pathway to higher-ed and no outside guidance to change her path. She graduated from the Per Scholas IT training and by 20 landed her first job ever as a Hardware and Systems Analyst at New York-Presbyterian. Now, nearly three years later, she’s moved up in her responsibilities and now manages others. Her voice on that stage was all the more important because she also represents a population that makes up only 5% of the tech industry – a minority woman. We have a lot to learn from her.

Following her stage time with Chelsea, Tiffany has been on the ride of her life.

Marianne Linardos – a Navy veteran with two college degrees – never thought finding a good job would be so hard.

Yet after four years of unsuccessfully searching for permanent employment, Linardos found herself standing on a street corner, holding up a cardboard sign that touted her willingness to work.

The sign read: “Grad for Hire.”

“I added a few decals representing my status as a Navy veteran, and I drew a graduation hat, representing my status as an alum of Miami University,” she said. “I thought parading this sign in front of high-traffic areas near large business establishments would get attention.”

It didn’t. That was in 2011, just about when Linardos – who had not worked full time since 2007 – was ready to give up.

“I was working at McDonald’s for minimum wage,” she said. “I had pretty much given up hope on achieving any goals in my life.”

Then an online job search fluke changed Linardos’s life for the better, forever. She stumbled upon an ad promoting free IT training classes through Per Scholas.

Like the Creating IT Futures Foundation, Per Scholas is a national non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality technology education to the unemployed and people from groups under-represented in the IT industry, including ethnic minorities, women and military veterans. Together, the two organizations are collaborating to bring the IT-Ready program to more U.S. cities.

“I was searching for jobs online in the Cincinnati area, and that’s when I found the Per Scholas ad. And it sounded great,” Linardos said. “There was just one problem – registration had ended and the class started in three days. I mulled that over in my head the whole weekend: ‘What should I do? I have to somehow get into that class. I may never get this opportunity again.’”

Tapping into her vast well of determination and courage, Linardos did the only thing she could think to do – she showed up unannounced at the Per Scholas IT-Ready training site on the first day of class and asked to join.

“As luck would have it, two people had pulled out of the class at the last minute,” she said. “Andrea Applegate [Managing Director of Per Scholas Columbus] talked to me and allowed me to stay in the class while my application was evaluated.”

Her application was approved. Being admitted to the IT training program didn’t immediately solve all of Linardos’ problems. She faced a long daily commute in her unreliable car. When she wasn’t in class, she made hamburgers at minimum wage, earning barely enough to buy a tank of gas. And as a single parent, she continued to juggle the needs of her three children.

The classroom work itself, too, proved to be a challenge. Linardos had attained the rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class in the Navy, working in electronics, which she assumed would give her a leg up during IT training.

“But information technology is far different from electronics,” she said. “IT deals more with applications, whereas electronics deals more with internal components, like repairing mother boards. So while I was familiar with technology, the majority of the material I was learning was new. It was a little scary.”

According to Applegate, the feeling of intimidation is a typical response from Per Scholas students, the vast majority of whom are mid-career adults who haven’t stepped inside a classroom for years and, more important, are new to technology. Linardos credits her Per Scholas instructor, Adam Turner, for making coursework interesting and understandable.

“Adam is one of the best instructors I’ve ever had, and after six years of college, I’ve had quite a number of instructors,” she said. “He constantly quizzed us to make sure that everyone had a firm understanding of the material. His delivery demanded your attention, because he tried to deliver even the driest of material in an informative but interesting fashion.”

Following her graduation, Linardos worked with Chris Williams, an associate director of business solutions for Per Scholas, who works with local business partners to develop employment opportunities for students. Williams persuaded Linardos to accept an apprenticeship position with Pomeroy; although not close to her home, the company would be a good fit for her skills and personality. With her fingers crossed, she began making the hour-long one-way commute.

“The job was a project coordinator position, and I was more afraid of losing that opportunity than I was afraid of losing my car,” she said. “The engine light came on, but it got me through the first several weeks without complication. Finally I had enough paycheck stubs to get a car loan. I am now the proud owner of a Honda Accord Hybrid. The money I will save on gas will make up most of the car payment.”

And the work she’s doing for Pomeroy? To say she’s loving it, Linardos said, is an understatement. Her future has completely changed.

“I am able, once again, to hope and dream of a future,” she said. “I believe I can provide a better life for my children. I believe I can survive without being a burden to society or my loved ones. I feel I can finally dream and grow.”

Story written in collaboration with the Creating IT Futures Foundation.