A young man approaches. He is impeccably dressed in business casual. He smiles, shakes your hand and gives you a business card. The card says Ivan Jones. He is a 24-year-old native Washingtonian and LAYC Career Academy Information Technology (IT) student.
Ivan started working at a very young age and he worked many hours for not very much pay. He worked as a barback at a number of local establishments but he always knew he wanted more. He went to the DC Department of Employment Services Career Connections and started attending LAYC Career Academy to fulfill his dream of becoming an IT manager. He searched long and hard for an opportunity and tried many different programs in DC but none of them could provide him with a schedule that was flexible enough for him to work and also go to school. Finally, Ivan found Career Academy and never looked back.
Ivan commented on how much Career Academy staff have supported him. I have attended many programs offered in DC but none with the heart and culture of the Career Academy. In other programs, I got a lot of support from the instructors but I had never received much attention from any people high up. I really feel as though the Career Academy has a leadership team that made me comfortable and has been there to celebrate me any chance that they get.”
Ivan is currently on pace to complete his A+ certification by the end of June 2021. After that he will start an internship before graduating and formally starting his new career in Information Technology. We are super proud to have Ivan as a part of our LAYC Career Academy family!