Leann
Project SUCCESS – South County Career Center
Attending high school was not a high priority for Leann. Once she started attending the South County Career Center that changed. She recently achieved her goal of graduating from the Certified Nursing Assistant program.
Leann has had many opportunities open to her since graduating from the CNA program, including a $1,000 scholarship from Project SUCCESS. Project SUCCESS increases high school graduation rates for students in four career centers throughout Hillsborough County and helps prepare students to launch a successful career. Leann is going to enroll in the Veterinary Tech Program at Aparicio-Levey Adult Technical Center in the fall. Leann attributes her success to her teachers. “The teachers are amazing and they really helped.”
“SCCC is not like a normal high school. It opened doors to health care, to my career and my future,” she said.
Jessie
Project SUCCESS – South County Career Center
Jessie, a recent graduate from the Certified Nursing Assistant nursing program at the South County Career Center, noticed recognizable changes to her personal and academic life. “This school has straightened me up,” she said. “This school has saved my life pretty much.”
She improved her people skills and started preparing for her future. “SCCC changed my life and got me on the right path and motivated me to do more.” Her hard work led to a $1,000 scholarship from Project SUCCESS. Project SUCCESS increases high school graduation rates for students in four career centers throughout Hillsborough County and helps prepare students to launch a successful career. Jessie plans to start the Veterinarian Tech program at Aparicio-Levey Adult Technical Center in the fall.
Jessie cannot say enough about the career center. “SCCC is an amazing school. It’s awesome! My family was happy that I went to SCCC.” Jessie’s family is so proud of her and was thrilled when she graduated in June. She plans on volunteering in her community before starting school in the fall.
Izzie
Project SUCCESS – South County Career Center
Izzie grew up in south Los Angeles, where he was confronted with drugs, violence, and gangs on a daily basis. He decided, “I don’t want to live this life.” Eventually, Izzie and his family moved to Florida to start a new life.
When Izzie started at South County Career Center in Ruskin he didn’t take school seriously. “I wanted to quit, but the teachers helped me to push it.” To stay busy and out of trouble, Izzie got involved in student activities and joined student council. Though he often missed days in regular school he believes, “South County Career Center will give you a second chance.” And it did.
When he graduated from the JROTC program, Izzie was overwhelmed. “It felt pretty good” and then he thought, “Oh my God, I made it!”
He received a $2,000 scholarship from Project SUCCESS, which he’ll use to attend Hillsborough Community College in the fall. Project SUCCESS increases high school graduation rates for students in four career centers throughout Hillsborough County and helps prepare students to launch a successful career.
Before attending college in the fall, Izzie plans on getting a summer job to help his parents out, study, and have some fun before the summer is over. Izzie wants to be a music producer and move back to L.A. one day. “I love music.”
Project SUCCESS
Julian
2011 Graduate – South County Career Center
Julian, a graduate from South County Career Center, was able to stay on track with school and earn a $2,000 scholarship from Project SUCCESS, giving him a strong start to a career as an Emergency Medical Technician. Project SUCCESS increases high school graduation rates for students in four career centers through-out Hillsborough County and helps prepare students to launch a successful career.
Julian entered the First Responder program, which teaches students emergency lifesaving skills. These skills are learned through textbooks and hands-on training.
Julian also participated in the JROTC program. The various skills highlighted in JROTC helped Gonzalez get in shape, become the battalion commander, and participate in the drill team. Experience from the JROTC will help Gonzalez receive extra rank in the National Guard, which he plans on joining one day.
Before attending SCCC, Gonzalez had bad grades. The career center helped Gonzalez improve his grades, get on track and set goals. “I would recommend this program to everyone!”
His classes in the First Responder program really prepared Gonzalez for his new career. Gonzalez will start the EMT program at Hillsborough Community College in the fall.
National Association of Women in Construction
Tampa Chapter
INVEST donor
The Tampa Chapter #36 of the National Association of Women in Construction was founded in 1960. In the past 50 years, NAWIC Tampa Bay has contributed countless hours of hard work toward bettering the community and construction industry employment for women. Tampa NAWIC members have volunteered for charitable organizations and are committed to education for both women working in the construction industry and for our youth. This year the chapter is participating in the NAWIC Education Foundation CAD Design and Drafting Competition & the Block Kids Program.
One of the objectives of both the Tampa Chapter, as well as our National organization, is to promote education in construction and to contribute to the betterment of the construction industry. NAWIC encourages women to pursue and establish their careers in the construction industry; our contributions and scholarships support both men and women. The Tampa NAWIC Chapter awards scholarships directly to students through an application process (available on our website). While NAWIC provides scholarships, NAWIC strongly supports the Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), as HEF allows our organization to enhance our reach to our target recipients, particularly within technical schools, allowing us to support a more diverse span of construction related educational institutions. This will be the third year of supporting HEF, and specifically the INVEST Program. We are pleased that our contributions can be specified to support students in construction related tracks. Another big plus that we like is the possibility of matching funds from other sources that can further leverage our investment.
Providing scholarships to our local community is one of the most rewarding and highest priorities for our Chapter. Tampa NAWIC views scholarships as a way to further develop potential workers, business owners, etc. for the construction industry within our local community and for the construction industry as a whole. While it is difficult to always know exactly how our INVEST contributions effect the recipients, we are hopeful that our contributions have assisted the students in successfully completing their course of study and for the students to have advanced to become employed within the construction industry. From our own scholarships, we have directly seen students graduate and go on to work in architectural/construction fields and we believe our scholarship awards are instrumental in assisting these students in reaching their goals.
Each month we hold networking opportunities, and a dinner business meeting featuring a construction related speaker/presentation. Recent topics have included green construction, lien laws, community development, EPA requirements, and OSHA safety. Tampa NAWIC invites you to join us for professional networking, fun, and a construction related educational meeting. Please visit our website for more information and meeting registration.
For more information about the Foundation's INVEST program, click here.
Project SUCCESS
Luis
2009 graduate, Bowers-Whitley Career Center
What is the secret to success? If you were to ask Luis, he would probably tell you it is important to have short-term and long-term goals. Having goals such as these, as well as financial assistance from Project SUCCESS, helped him succeed in and complete his work at the Bowers-Whitley Career Center. Thanks to the Project SUCCESS program and Luis' determination, he is now continuing to thrive in his EMS classes at Hillsborough Community College, which he started in August.
Luis is pursuing his lifelong dream of a career in the health field. He is currently working towards becoming a paramedic, which he believes will help him reach his ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon. He admits he still has much to learn, but he knows a good attitude and the drive to make his dreams come true will have an incredible impact on his life.
"I believe that working my way up will be more valuable than just rushing into any line of work," says Luis, "I strongly believe that experience makes the difference between a good decision and a bad one. Working my way up will give me valuable experience and a chance to explore the life that I want to live for myself and my family."
For more information on the Project SUCCESS program, click here.