Student Story: Erika

After a year of being unemployed, Erika decided she wanted to go back into construction, but didn’t know how to go about it. She knew she needed to take the next step somehow, and after doing research, she found STRIVE. She was very surprised to learn that STRIVE’s services are all completely free, and signed up for STRIVE’s construction cohort.

STRIVE’s free resources and training helped prepare Erika and put her on the path to her desired career. Less than one week after Erika’s last class at STRIVE, with the help of her career coach, she went on an interview with a construction company for a safety administrator position and was offered the job!

STRIVE helped Erika learn that holding back on the confidence she already has would only keep her from being her best self. Four months later Erika is thriving at her job at Monadnock Construction!

“I am so happy and grateful to STRIVE for providing me with this opportunity. Thanks to STRIVE I feel so much more confident and motivated to keep on striving,” Erika said.

STRIVE is proud to partner with Urban Strategies for their work with Monadnock Construction.

Student Story: Che

After four years in prison, Che had to make a choice: he could return to the street life, or he could try something different. He had a wife and child, Che decided he wanted to turn his life around. He wasn’t quite sure how—it was hard to readjust to life after prison and find a job—until he came to STRIVE.

STRIVE provided Che with resources, programs, and career coaches to help him stay on track to reach his goals. With STRIVE’s help, Che found a job just six months after leaving prison, as a maintenance worker with benefits. And after less than a year, he was promoted to supervisor!

Che learned that with dedication, drive, and hard work, anything is possible. This is just the first step for him on his career path.

“The transition with the help of STRIVE was like night and day,” Che says.