Chicago native Domenica was feeling lost with no direction and not really sure what she wanted to do with her life. She decided to enroll in Job Corps at the Paul Simon Chicago center not knowing what attending Job Corps would accomplish for her, but knowing it was better than wasting more of her youth feeling “stuck.”
Job Corps not only got her on a new path but gave her the tools and confidence she needed to one day own a business and support a family.
“As a young adult, when you feel like there is no future, success feels closer to possible when it comes from a person who has been there. I hope to be that person for other young people.”
“Job Corps is a wonderful program. I hope it grows and continues to be available to young people all over the country.”
She initially went to Job Corps training in Cable Networking but then switched to Business Office Technology.
After graduating in 2005, Domenica took the skills she learned from Job Corps and began working in retail by helping a friend grow her business. She helped her friend build an online presence and create marketing materials.
Over the years, she continued to work in retail using the knowledge she gained in her training, and became a business owner—one of the goals she set for herself 15 years ago while enrolled at Job Corps. She runs a thrift store, “Thrifty Kids,” in Bemidji, Minn., where she lives with her husband and two children.
“I changed my narrative, and Job Corps helped lay that foundation.”
Domenica grew up in a household with eight kids, including her cousins, and not one adult had graduated from high school. After living in that environment and having never lived in the same place longer than a year or two, Domenica feels eternally grateful for the opportunities that Job Corps created for her.
“Job Corps is a wonderful program,” Domenica said. “I hope it grows and continues to be available to young people all over the country.”