Success Stories
Reynaldo - Hermiston, Oregon
Prior to entering the OHDC program, I had worked several temporary jobs in fields or food processing plants to make money to help my family. I had also started the process of earning my HVAC certificate through Perry Technical Institute. I was being helped financially through FAFSA but that was not enough to cover my tuition costs and living expenses.
My first goal was to graduate from Perry Technical Institute and learn as much as I could. I am the first in my family to attend college and while they supported me there wasn’t any money left over to help with school costs. I had to find financial support elsewhere. I knew reaching my goal was not going to be easy but when I found OHDC I knew it was going to be possible.
My mother is a single mom of 4 kids and was unable to help me financially with my education, she works seasonal jobs and is unemployed for a few months every year. Her salary goes to paying for our basic needs like rent, utilities, and groceries. OHDC’s assistance in tuition really made it possible to complete my HVAC training.
With the aid of OHDC we worked together to create my resume that helped me start my professional career as an HVAC technician. They also assisted me in making a portfolio which allowed me to showcase all of my accomplishments to potential employers in a professional fashion. Because of these tools I was able to get my first job with a local heating and air conditioning company located in Hermiston. There are many elements that influenced my path towards graduating from a trade school.
I am employed by a local HVAC company in Hermiston, Oregon and I plan to stay in this company as long as I can. But, in the future I would like to start my own HVAC business. I would also like to pursue a higher degree that will be related to HVAC and business.
My advice for people who are starting the program is to find outside help as well. For example, the employees in OHDC advised and helped me apply for outside scholarships. I also encourage people to stay on track in school and do the best they can.
I am thankful for all the support I received, my family, all my instructors at Perry Tech, and for the employees in OHDC. I was able to achieve my goal with the help of all the people who believed in me and pushed me to succeed in life.
Prior to entering the OHDC program, I had worked several temporary jobs in fields or food processing plants to make money to help my family. I had also started the process of earning my HVAC certificate through Perry Technical Institute. I was being helped financially through FAFSA but that was not enough to cover my tuition costs and living expenses.
My first goal was to graduate from Perry Technical Institute and learn as much as I could. I am the first in my family to attend college and while they supported me there wasn’t any money left over to help with school costs. I had to find financial support elsewhere. I knew reaching my goal was not going to be easy but when I found OHDC I knew it was going to be possible.
My mother is a single mom of 4 kids and was unable to help me financially with my education, she works seasonal jobs and is unemployed for a few months every year. Her salary goes to paying for our basic needs like rent, utilities, and groceries. OHDC’s assistance in tuition really made it possible to complete my HVAC training.
With the aid of OHDC we worked together to create my resume that helped me start my professional career as an HVAC technician. They also assisted me in making a portfolio which allowed me to showcase all of my accomplishments to potential employers in a professional fashion. Because of these tools I was able to get my first job with a local heating and air conditioning company located in Hermiston. There are many elements that influenced my path towards graduating from a trade school.
I am employed by a local HVAC company in Hermiston, Oregon and I plan to stay in this company as long as I can. But, in the future I would like to start my own HVAC business. I would also like to pursue a higher degree that will be related to HVAC and business.
My advice for people who are starting the program is to find outside help as well. For example, the employees in OHDC advised and helped me apply for outside scholarships. I also encourage people to stay on track in school and do the best they can.
I am thankful for all the support I received, my family, all my instructors at Perry Tech, and for the employees in OHDC. I was able to achieve my goal with the help of all the people who believed in me and pushed me to succeed in life.
Enrique - Hood River, Oregon
Enrique was born in Oaxaca Mexico in a small town lacking resources due to poverty. His education was minimal because his parents couldn’t afford to send him to school. He has wanted to become a truck driver as truck drivers in Mexico always seemed to work year round.
As the oldest child in his household, tradition held that it now became his responsibility take care and provide for his elderly parents. However, once he became the Head of the Household he soon realized that he couldn’t provide for his family with wages available in Oaxaca; that is when he decided to move to the U.S. He departed with a broken heart because he had to leave his parents behind with relatives. Like many before him he had high hopes of providing his family with a better life. Enrique had a tough time finding a job when he first arrived here because he only spoke Mixtec a native dialect language from his town. The only job he found was working in the orchard. Even that job had some challenges for him since he was barely able to speak and understand Spanish.
As the years went by, Enrique learned a little bit more Spanish from his friends at work and was able to send money home to support his family in Oaxaca. He worked in various orchards until 2012 when he heard about OHDC. Without hesitating he visited us in November, and became one of our clients. We were glad to have him, and he knew that he would have to work extra hard to learn English as his third language. We enrolled him in our Rosetta Stone course as a compliment to the local ESL classes provided by the community college.
After six months of being in our program and working diligently in learning English and taking our Job Readiness classes, he felt confident enough to start looking and applying for work outside of agriculture. Enrique applied in several places and was fortunate enough to receive quite a few interviews, but had no luck with getting hired.
We talked with Enrique about his progress and we concluded that he needed additional help communicating in English. So, we initially set a schedule for him to come into our computer lab three days a week. He said “NO” he would come in every day after work and even stated coming in on his days off specifically to use Rosetta Stone to work on his English. Enrique did that for a straight year without giving up and hardly missing a day in the lab. With his English much improved we decided that it was time for him to pursue his dream job and we enrolled him in a truck driving course with Elite Truck School in Hillsboro, OR.
Enrique worked very hard and he threw himself into the course and studied hard in this course as he so much wanted to become a licensed commercial truck driver. Two months later after hard work, sacrifice, and lots of studying he obtained his CDL. He immediately applied at various places including Oregon Child Development Coalition, OCDC, as a bus driver. But, he still didn’t get any job offers because of his limited English skills. He knew he needed work on his English skills once more. He was back in our computer lab every day and he would spend hours each day working thru the different levels of Rosetta Stone, and we also signed him up once more for ESL classes provided by Columbia Gorge Community College. After a few more months and hundreds of hours spent practicing his English he once again started applying for truck driving jobs. It was no surprise to us that he got hired in May of 2015 at J. Arlie Bryant, INC as a short haul truck driver.
We learned from him that if you really want something in life you have to fight for it till the end. Never give up on your dreams, and don’t let any barrier including language set you back. Enrique is currently earning $18.50 an hour and feels proud of himself because he has enough to support his family here and his parents in Oaxaca.
His new goal for the future is to own his own trucking company.
Enrique was born in Oaxaca Mexico in a small town lacking resources due to poverty. His education was minimal because his parents couldn’t afford to send him to school. He has wanted to become a truck driver as truck drivers in Mexico always seemed to work year round.
As the oldest child in his household, tradition held that it now became his responsibility take care and provide for his elderly parents. However, once he became the Head of the Household he soon realized that he couldn’t provide for his family with wages available in Oaxaca; that is when he decided to move to the U.S. He departed with a broken heart because he had to leave his parents behind with relatives. Like many before him he had high hopes of providing his family with a better life. Enrique had a tough time finding a job when he first arrived here because he only spoke Mixtec a native dialect language from his town. The only job he found was working in the orchard. Even that job had some challenges for him since he was barely able to speak and understand Spanish.
As the years went by, Enrique learned a little bit more Spanish from his friends at work and was able to send money home to support his family in Oaxaca. He worked in various orchards until 2012 when he heard about OHDC. Without hesitating he visited us in November, and became one of our clients. We were glad to have him, and he knew that he would have to work extra hard to learn English as his third language. We enrolled him in our Rosetta Stone course as a compliment to the local ESL classes provided by the community college.
After six months of being in our program and working diligently in learning English and taking our Job Readiness classes, he felt confident enough to start looking and applying for work outside of agriculture. Enrique applied in several places and was fortunate enough to receive quite a few interviews, but had no luck with getting hired.
We talked with Enrique about his progress and we concluded that he needed additional help communicating in English. So, we initially set a schedule for him to come into our computer lab three days a week. He said “NO” he would come in every day after work and even stated coming in on his days off specifically to use Rosetta Stone to work on his English. Enrique did that for a straight year without giving up and hardly missing a day in the lab. With his English much improved we decided that it was time for him to pursue his dream job and we enrolled him in a truck driving course with Elite Truck School in Hillsboro, OR.
Enrique worked very hard and he threw himself into the course and studied hard in this course as he so much wanted to become a licensed commercial truck driver. Two months later after hard work, sacrifice, and lots of studying he obtained his CDL. He immediately applied at various places including Oregon Child Development Coalition, OCDC, as a bus driver. But, he still didn’t get any job offers because of his limited English skills. He knew he needed work on his English skills once more. He was back in our computer lab every day and he would spend hours each day working thru the different levels of Rosetta Stone, and we also signed him up once more for ESL classes provided by Columbia Gorge Community College. After a few more months and hundreds of hours spent practicing his English he once again started applying for truck driving jobs. It was no surprise to us that he got hired in May of 2015 at J. Arlie Bryant, INC as a short haul truck driver.
We learned from him that if you really want something in life you have to fight for it till the end. Never give up on your dreams, and don’t let any barrier including language set you back. Enrique is currently earning $18.50 an hour and feels proud of himself because he has enough to support his family here and his parents in Oaxaca.
His new goal for the future is to own his own trucking company.
Adriana, C.N.A - Fallon, Nevada
Prior to entering the program at NHDC I have been working at Lattin Farms where my father is a farmworker himself, I would harvest, and pick all sorts of crops in the Harsh Nevada Weather.
I wanted to get a better job with opportunity for growth, a job I would be proud of. My goals have not changed I want to continue growing in the Medical Field and would like to pursue a phlebotomy certification.
NHDC helped me in many ways, Helped me get my C.N.A Certification also helped me financially while attending school because I was not working, and helped me get a job that I am proud of.
While enrolled in the program at NHDC, I attending classes at WNC, I attended a Job Readiness Workshop, I participated in a work experience, and NHDC also helped me become a CNA
My advice is: “Join the program because it’s a great program that really helps you achieve your goals in life”
Prior to entering the program at NHDC I have been working at Lattin Farms where my father is a farmworker himself, I would harvest, and pick all sorts of crops in the Harsh Nevada Weather.
I wanted to get a better job with opportunity for growth, a job I would be proud of. My goals have not changed I want to continue growing in the Medical Field and would like to pursue a phlebotomy certification.
NHDC helped me in many ways, Helped me get my C.N.A Certification also helped me financially while attending school because I was not working, and helped me get a job that I am proud of.
While enrolled in the program at NHDC, I attending classes at WNC, I attended a Job Readiness Workshop, I participated in a work experience, and NHDC also helped me become a CNA
My advice is: “Join the program because it’s a great program that really helps you achieve your goals in life”
Rebeca entered the Oregon Human Development Corporation’s employment and training program in February 2011. It was clear from the start that Rebeca was a highly motivated individual, but it didn’t prepare us for all that she would accomplish while in the program. Nor did we know when she began, how she would go on to directly influence and inspire other clients to excel through motivating themselves and recognizing that they had it within themselves to achieve whatever they set their mind to.
Rebeca grew up in a very impoverished area in Oaxaca, Mexico and was raised by her parents with her eleven siblings. When interviewed last year regarding her story, she spoke of the suffering she faced from a very early age and recounted having to start working by the age of five. She spoke of how she helped her mother make tortillas as early as four in the morning, would then attend school, and would come home to continue working. The family’s home had no running water and the children had to do their part to transport buckets of water from a nearby creek daily in order to bathe and cook.
When Rebeca first began with OHDC, she knew her goal was to become a teaching assistant and was already working on completing her GED through another agency. She eventually graduated and went on to inspire other female clients to complete their GED. Additionally, she completed Child Development Associate Certification courses through OHDC’s partner agency, Community Action, completed her CPR and 1st Aid certification, Oregon Food Handler’s Card, and eventually completed 160 hours of training. She also had the opportunity to complete a Work Experience with another partner agency, El Centro Cultural, where she worked in their child care facility for three months to gain more experience. In addition to the paid training, she signed herself up as a volunteer with another Head Start program with another partner agency, The Oregon Child Development Coalition. During this time, she went on to receive her United States Citizenship and attended English as a Second Language courses at Portland Community College, all while raising her five children. Her efforts eventually paid off when she was offered a part-time Spanish teaching position with a local pre-school called Wildwood Nature School last year. Once she completed her year with the Wildwood Nature School, she was forced back into farm work temporarily, which pushed her to work even harder to gain full-time employment as a teaching assistant. Once again, her determination paid off because this month, she was offered a full-time position in a licensed facility earning $10 an hour to start.
Rebeca is close to completing her CDA and expects to receive her credentials in the next two months. Until then, she hopes to continue working on improving her English and continue working with her children to see them excel. Her daughter Odalis joined OHDC in the fall, has completed her C.N.A. 1 training, is attending school full-time in preparation for a nursing degree, and is a recipient of the Hope Scholarship for the C.N.A. 2 training this spring. Rebeca’s drive and determination has not only effected her family, but many others in our agency.
Rebeca grew up in a very impoverished area in Oaxaca, Mexico and was raised by her parents with her eleven siblings. When interviewed last year regarding her story, she spoke of the suffering she faced from a very early age and recounted having to start working by the age of five. She spoke of how she helped her mother make tortillas as early as four in the morning, would then attend school, and would come home to continue working. The family’s home had no running water and the children had to do their part to transport buckets of water from a nearby creek daily in order to bathe and cook.
When Rebeca first began with OHDC, she knew her goal was to become a teaching assistant and was already working on completing her GED through another agency. She eventually graduated and went on to inspire other female clients to complete their GED. Additionally, she completed Child Development Associate Certification courses through OHDC’s partner agency, Community Action, completed her CPR and 1st Aid certification, Oregon Food Handler’s Card, and eventually completed 160 hours of training. She also had the opportunity to complete a Work Experience with another partner agency, El Centro Cultural, where she worked in their child care facility for three months to gain more experience. In addition to the paid training, she signed herself up as a volunteer with another Head Start program with another partner agency, The Oregon Child Development Coalition. During this time, she went on to receive her United States Citizenship and attended English as a Second Language courses at Portland Community College, all while raising her five children. Her efforts eventually paid off when she was offered a part-time Spanish teaching position with a local pre-school called Wildwood Nature School last year. Once she completed her year with the Wildwood Nature School, she was forced back into farm work temporarily, which pushed her to work even harder to gain full-time employment as a teaching assistant. Once again, her determination paid off because this month, she was offered a full-time position in a licensed facility earning $10 an hour to start.
Rebeca is close to completing her CDA and expects to receive her credentials in the next two months. Until then, she hopes to continue working on improving her English and continue working with her children to see them excel. Her daughter Odalis joined OHDC in the fall, has completed her C.N.A. 1 training, is attending school full-time in preparation for a nursing degree, and is a recipient of the Hope Scholarship for the C.N.A. 2 training this spring. Rebeca’s drive and determination has not only effected her family, but many others in our agency.
Osvaldo’s Story
Before entering OHDC’s program, I was working at Oregon Harvesting picking blueberries. Every day I would receive a gallon bucket to fill. We were paid $1.75 per bucket. I wasn’t a good picker, so I was making minimum wage. It was difficult work, especially in the morning because it was cold and wet. After 10 or 11 it was really hot, sometimes 90 to 100 degrees and I didn’t like it.
My goal when I started was to get more endorsements and get a better a job. I also wanted more experience driving trucks because before I started, I didn’t have any experience driving. I got my CDL in 2006, but I never drove or used it, so every time I applied for a job, they wouldn’t hire me because I wasn’t qualified. They required experience to drive. So when I started at OHDC, they sent me to Elite Truck School to get my Hazmat, Doubles and Triples, and Tanker endorsements. When I was at the school, the driving instructors taught us how to drive, how to turn, to use the gears correctly, how to hook up the trailers, etc. My goals changed a lot while I was in the program because I got more experience. I now know how to hook a trailer and got experience filling the log book. While in OHDC I had the opportunity to do a Work Experience at the Washington County Habitat for Humanity Restore as a driver and helped in the store. It helped me a lot because I was driving a box truck and I was driving every day up to 150 miles a day. I also gained customer service experience because I was sent to people’s homes to pick up donations and I had to talk with them. Also, when I interviewed for my job, the owner saw my experience on my resume and he asked me about. He was very happy when he heard about my work with them. I think having the job helped me out a lot. I also took the computer classes with Victor and Rosetta Stone. It helped me a lot because my English is a lot better. Also, I took the Customer Service class and Short Term Job Readiness classes which helped me understand the importance of how to treat customers and having a good attitude. While at OHDC, I learned a lot, especially on the computers with Rosetta Stone and in the trainings with Victor. I also learned how to apply for jobs, fax and email resumes, and how to interview. Now I am driving and working for S & M Steel where I have been working for two months making $14 an hour with benefits. It’s a good job and I have very good partners and the owner is a good guy. The manager is a good person too. They send me to the job sites with the information. When I was in the field, I worked so hard and made only $8.50 an hour, and I was tired and hungry. Now I’m driving...driving...and driving…dropping off the loads...and I am happy. I really recommend OHDC because it helped so many people, especially farmworkers. I recommend the CDL program because OHDC makes it easier to finish. If you want to leave nursery work or farmworking, I recommend you speak to OHDC and I really recommend CDL because there are many local jobs for those who are interested. 
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