Success Stories | Alyssa

Alyssa approached the Career Coach at the Deland, FL location about enrolling in the Eckerd Connects Workforce Development program after she learned of it through a former participant. She wanted to obtain her diploma but learned that the Eckerd Connects is so much more than a typical GED program.  She was informed that our career pathway focuses on career readiness and assisting individuals 16-24 with not only obtaining their High School diploma but overall success in life.  Alyssa acknowledged that her poor attendance in high school led to her not finishing, but she also became a teen mother too.  Her daughter is now 2 but Alyssa was 17 turning 18 when she had her daughter.  Alyssa started the enrollment process in early January of 2020; however, she wasn’t officially enrolled until February.

Numerous Eckerd Connects Workforce Development participants that seek to enroll in the workforce program that are older need to improve on their academic scores prior to being enrolled.  Unfortunately due to Alyssa’s being an older participant, she was one of the students that needed to “brush up” on her academics.  Although Alyssa had forgotten some of her high school level material academically, she was quick to remember it to be academically successful.

As a participant, Alyssa was presented a lot of workshops that she had identified as important upon enrollment.  Some of the employability lessons she had were:  employer assessments, interview tips and mock interview practice, resume construction, proper job search tips, how valuable networking is in searching for employment, social/technology impact on employment, labor market information (LMI) and the importance of dressing for success.

Alyssa also had a large variety of life workshops/material as a participant which included: financial literacy basics, the true cost of car ownership, leadership, post-secondary basics, ethics, anger management, domestic violence, soft skills, career exploration, conflict resolution, teen pregnancy, alcohol abuse, drug abuse/use, identity theft and the value of establishing credit.

Alyssa also obtained numerous credentials to develop a better resume to increase her marketability as an employee in the future. As a participant in the Eckerd Connects program, Alyssa obtained her SafeStaff Food Handler’s Certification in February 2020 to better prepare her for working in the food industry.  She also obtained a Certified Guestroom Attendant Certification in March 2020 which will aid her in seeking employment in the hospitality industry which dominates Central Florida. As mentioned in the first paragraph, Alyssa had forgotten some of the academic material to earn her GED/High School Diploma but was quick to recall the lessons/teachings.   Actually Alyssa earned her diploma in late February 2020 (2/27 to be exact) three weeks after she was enrolled.

Upon enrollment, Alyssa had identified a lot of possible career choices such as being an automotive mechanic, photography, and even cosmetology.  In time, she eventually narrowed down pursuing photography as a career and became a Youth Positive Outcome (YPO)/graduate in early May 2020 when she enrolled in summer classes for the Photography Program at Daytona State College.

Congrats Alyssa. That’s how you are connected to your potential.

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