When Ricky’s daughter was born, he knew he needed to do better for her. He found Job Corps and enrolled, and soon realized he was in for a tough road ahead.

“Thankfully my dad taught me to be a hard worker,” Ricky said.

Ricky joined the Building Construction Technology training area and learned about all aspects of construction, from plumbing to tiling, to roofing, to painting and beyond. His instructor became a mentor to him. 

“Having an instructor who knew the same struggles helped me see what aspects of Job Corps were important to make a better life for my family.”

Ricky will be the first to admit that he didn’t go to Job Corps for extracurriculars. However, once he opened up to the idea of being involved on campus, he was shocked at the opportunities that came his way. He quickly became involved with his community and took on the public relations role in the student government, which taught him the importance of a well-rounded approach to his work.

Though it wasn’t always easy, Ricky would not change his experience at Job Corps for anything. He pushed himself every day because he was determined to make a better life for his family.  

He is now employed at Solar Landscape, a solar installation company, where his managers consider him to be one of their hardest-working employees. His main goal is to always be somewhere he is appreciated, something he said Job Corps showed him the value of pursuing.