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From Grief to Grit: How One Teen Is Paving His Own Way
At 13, Eric Uriotegui-Mendoza learned the most important lesson of his life in a very painful way. When his 38-year-old mother lost her battle with stage 4 cancer, Eric discovered that "you gotta be prepared" for anything life might bring. That hard-earned wisdom drove the recent Madison County High School graduate to start building his…
From Classroom to Construction Crew: Sam’s Story
Samuel Cuzman's former high school construction teacher, Jake Slusher, describes him as "a quiet guy who just did his work — a teacher's dream." Now, Sam has turned that steady, no-nonsense approach into a career in heavy equipment operation with ER Snell Contractor, Inc. The recent graduate of Empower College and Career Academy in Jackson…
Collier Uesseler Proves Technology Careers Don’t Require College Debt
While many of his classmates are just starting their freshman year of college, Collier Uesseler is already climbing the corporate ladder at Toyota. He has no student loans, no lecture halls, and no uncertainty about whether his degree will actually land him a job. The recent graduate of Empower College and Career Academy in Jackson…
From Simulator to a Real Job: Cameron Cruse’s Journey from Classroom to Career
Cameron Cruse doesn't need to imagine what his future career looks like — he's already living it. While many fellow high school seniors were filling out college applications and worrying about student loans, Cameron was learning to operate heavy machinery and earning a steady paycheck straight out of graduation. The recent high school graduate has…
HireSmart Invests in Future Healthcare Workers at Jefferson High
Laura Wilburn brings real-world nursing experience to her healthcare science classroom at Jefferson High School, where she's teaching the next generation of medical professionals. Now, thanks to HireSmart Cares, her students will have new tools to prepare for healthcare careers. A HireSmart $6,397 workforce development grant provides essential training equipment for the JHS healthcare science…
Putting Students First: HireSmart Cares Celebrates Career Success at North Georgia Signing Days
While most people think of signing days as celebrations for star athletes heading to college, HireSmart Cares celebrates different “announce-the-destination” moments — ones that often don’t make headlines, but are just as life-changing. These moments took center stage recently as Mark and Anne Lackey, co-founders of HireSmart Cares, attended career signing day ceremonies in North…