"We are LA Fellows Because We Act on our Dreams."

On Friday, March 13th, the LA Fellows program celebrated the graduation of its 11th Cohort (class) of job-seeking professionals. Two individuals from the class represented their Cohort by speaking in the ceremony. The first speaker was Fred Johnson, who agreed to let us post a transcript of his heartfelt and inspiring speech: 

To Los Angeles Valley College President, Job Training Staff and Advisory Board, Mr. Lennie Ciufo, our awesome and dynamic job training leaders - Allison and Mary, to the WorkSource Centers who have generously funded the LA Fellows program, particularly Anthony Rodriguez and Candis Noel with the West Hollywood WorkSource Center who believed enough in me to fund my position within the LA Fellows, and to our nonprofit partners who have given us opportunities to volunteer within your organizations to regain our confidence, pride, and  job skills, and to our families and friends whose support have played an instrumental part in us being here - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

 

I am Fred Jackson and I am proud to be a Cohort 11 LA Fellow and honored to speak on behalf of my Cohort.

 

On January 2^nd, a diverse, motley crew of individuals came together to listen to Allison and Mary give us an orientation on the transformative journey that we were getting ready to embark upon. Little did we know what we had signed up for…

 

In our own different ways, we were all scarred, frustrated and depressed with the internet suck of job searching and sending our resumes into corporate electronic black holes and then being further pulled down by the repeated defeat and rejection of not being fully productive and gainfully employed.  So each of us decided to commit to the LA Fellows Program, challenging us to focus our job search efforts and to move beyond our comfort zones, shedding layers of negativity.

 

Over the next nine weeks, we learned from our incredible and dedicated program instructors – Andrea, Doug, Keri, Kim, Jim, Larry, Lynnette, Roberto and Sam how to assess the psychological and practical aspects of our career transition. We learned to develop an action plan and how to tackle opportunities with structured and focused approaches detailing our strengths, areas of expertise, interests, and values to uncover the hidden job market.

 

We studied how to rethink our thinking and change our brains, how to control our fears with emotional intelligence, and how to improve our resumes with SOAR stories - highlighting our expertise, the problems we have solved, and outlining our transferrable skills.

 

“Can you walk me through your resume?” or, “Can you tell me about yourself?” were the painful interview questions we learned how to tackle along with developing an elevator speech that will captivate an audiences within 90 seconds or less.

 

We were taught to have a personal brand always and consistently showcasing our unique qualities and being able to back it up with proof statements and in a changing world, we learned how to embrace change when someone moves our cheese.

 

We also studied the growing world of nonprofits involved in everything from health care, education, the arts and culture, and so much more! Through our volunteering at nonprofits, not only are we being re-engaged back into the working world, but we are making a difference and impacting the lives of burned children, developing parks and open space in economically disadvantaged communities, helping sick kids fight their illness, and much more at the various nonprofits where my cohorts are volunteering.

 

While improving our job search strategies and interviewing skills, we learned so much more about one another: who were the direct, task oriented Eagles, the wise, systematic Owls, the spirited Roadrunners, or the considerate Doves.

 

I could continue for nine more weeks talking about all we learned in the LA Fellows Program, However, today is the graduation for Cohort 11, so to Cohort and friends ….

 

Alan: I’ve witnessed you wrestle with your employment gap and I know that you will return to the Healthcare Industry as the trainer and leader that you are.

Brian: You’re Dr. Scientist and nothing can stop you because you are the “Master of your fate and the Captain of your soul.”

Justin: You are the teacher/leader that any employer would want and the Foundation for Pierce College is lucky to have you as a volunteer.

Gus: Move out of your way, trust and embrace your gifts. That is the only thing stopping you. You are a brilliant and creative writer

Diane W: Cleveland is in the house! Your background maybe varied, but your skills and ability to connect with people are solid.

Ruth: You don’t know this, but you share the name and characteristics of my beloved and departed Mother. You are smart, caring, passionate, creative, and talented! And the job you seek is just a few connections away.

Jen: You’re focused, funny and know what you want. Get ready grant writing world, Jen is coming and she is serious.

Ava: Ms. Diet Coke, you have the knowledge, connections and leadership skills that will see you involved in policy work real soon.

Parvene:  You have co-owned and lead an award winning marketing firm for years. Winning is second nature to you and you will make a successful career transition.

Carol: You were the first Cohort that I met.  You are incredibly smart and moved to LA to be close to your children. It was only a matter of time before you were discovered in LA and now you are employed.

Denise:  You have walked with kings but kept the common touch as an airline executive. You have the emotional intelligence we all want in a leader.

Frank: You were taught to always do things right the first time. You got it right and now you’re employed as a Vice President of a bank.

Barbara: Once you land a teaching job with a Community College, let me know because I want to take any class you teach! You’re an empathetic instructor willing to go the extra mile to help your students achieve their “aha” moments.

Dianne M: Tenacious D, our Eagle, there is no denying you are a New Yorker and a natural leader and the executive position you deserve is looking for you.

Haisela:  Our prayers are with you. You walk quietly but carry a big stick! Teaching is in your blood.

Richard: You’re young, smart and gifted. The world is yours, go and conquer it!

Alex: My fellow Dove, you are smart, considerate, passionate, and creative. Don’t second guess yourself because the creative job you seek is just around the corner.

Bismark: You are smart, understanding, and a motivational leader and manager that I want running my team because you won’t let the ship sink.  

Erica: The once quiet, shy girl has said left the building. You have made tremendous strides and Shonda Rhimes better snatch you up while she can afford you. You will be an extraordinary writer, just believe in yourself!

Peter: You’re a smart, gifted and talented attorney. “Fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of a distance run.”

Paul: Don’t worry about the crutches, pun intended, they get in the way of employers seeing you stand with your skills, experiences, and background leading teams and managing a portfolio of buildings.

Nancy: Our Oklahoma Attorney who has the fortitude and will to “Hold on” and will soon be employed again.

Thor: Our Thunder God of Wealth! With the name Thor Gold, you are destined for greatness and you are the “Bright Shiny Penny” of our Cohort.

Valerie: You’re the powerful superhero that became employed first among our Cohort. You showed us how having drive, dedication, and a zeal for learning pays off.  

Bill: You struggled mightily with change, but ultimately you did it and are now employed.

Mark: You are confident, methodical, driven and employed! You are being all that you can be and thank you for serving our Country!

And last but not least,

Regina:  You’re thoughtful and resourceful with so many talents. Continue being who you are, because you’re fantastic and the job you desire will soon be yours!

 

In closing, no one can go back and make a brand new start, but everyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. We came to LA Fellows with our individual issues and baggage, but we are leaving and graduating uplifted, confident, prepared, and optimistic about our future.

We are LA Fellows because we are armed with tactics, higher self-esteem, and we have each other. We are LA Fellows because we plan and believe in ourselves. We are LA Fellows because we act on our dreams. We are LA Fellows because we will be employed and accomplish great things!

And, I thank you.

Fred Jackson is a Real Estate Development and Asset Management professional. He is currently volunteering with the Trust for Public Land, completing a 100 hour project to develop an opportunities report and working in park/open space development.

LA Fellows Graduation Speeches Cohort 9, Part III

Our third and final graduation speaker of the Cohort 9 graduation ceremony was Leroy McKinney, a Customer Service professional. Leroy was asked to speak about the final piece of the LA Fellows journey, the training and how it moves the Fellows forward beyond the program. Here are his words:

Good Morning Everyone,

The Dictionary defines volunteerism as the practice of volunteering one’s time or talents for charitable, educational or other worthwhile activities, especially in one’s community.

One of the unique things about the LA Fellows Program is the partnership between career development and volunteerism.

Each Fellow is encouraged to meet with three nonprofit organizations.  The purpose of this process is to find a match between the nonprofit organization and the Fellow.  Once the match has been made, the nonprofit receives a qualified volunteer and the Fellow has an opportunity to use the skills learned in the LA Fellows Program at the nonprofit.

I gathered Fellows’ comments to describe their volunteer experience.  Allow me to share them with you.

“The interview process made me feel more confident each time. “

“I am grateful for the opportunity to do good things. “

“It felt good to know that the nonprofit organization wanted me. “

“My volunteer experience is providing me with new skills that I probably would not have acquired.”

“I feel great volunteering for an organization that helps nonprofits and I'm learning a lot at the same time. “

“I volunteer because I get more than I give and done that since I was in the 6th grade when I first came to the U.S.”

 “Volunteering is like riding a bike with training wheels because it gets you comfortable enough to ride off on your own and get back to work.”

The bike metaphor is a great description of the LA Fellows Program. 

(Bike Pantomime)

When I started the LA Fellows Program, I was a little wobbly riding my bike which I called Job Search.  My tool kit for my bike was adequate.

As the program progressed, I learned that my bike was called Career Development.

As I pedaled my bike, I saw a billboard on the left that said “Emotional Intelligence.”  On the right, I saw “Be the Bright Shiny Penny.” A voice went off in the back of my head saying “Don’t be the Debbie Downer.” I put these concepts in my tool kit.

Up ahead on the left was “The Blunt Instrument Won’t Open the Golden Door.”  “What was that about? Oh yeah. When creating your resume focus on specific and concise entries. Vagueness takes you further away from your goal.” On the right was Informational Interviews.”  I put those in my tool kit.

Next, I saw on the left a billboard that said “Networking” and another that said “Volunteer.”  Then I saw “Got Business Cards?” These were placed in my tool kit as well.

I was at the half-way point of my journey and a warning sign beckoned ahead.  The sign said “Change Ahead: S-Curve 5% downgrade.” “What do you mean S-Curve?  I don’t do S-Curves. I’m the straight guy! Why do I have to do an S-Curve?”

As I began my descent into the S-Curve, I heard voices in my head that said “Take deep breaths. Embrace the change.”  I hear these voices as I continued my ride.

About half-way down the S-curve, I noticed that I hadn’t fallen off my bike called Career Development. I thought to myself that I can do this.

Soon afterwards, I noticed there was unexpected road construction.  There were jack hammers and people everywhere.  “Can you believe this?  This wasn’t on the map!” So I began navigating these obstacles on the fly.

Before reaching the bottom of the S-curve, I saw a billboard for “Maximizing Your Social Media Presence.” I added this to my tool kit and continued on.

When I reached the bottom, a sign said “This Part of the Journey Has Ended.”  I moved my bike to the side.

That is where LA Fellows Cohort 9 is today. There will be obstacles in our path in the future.  But we can take solace that we don’t have to face these obstacles alone. When we need support or another opinion to face these obstacles, we can reach out to the other Cohort 9 Fellows through our Facebook Group and phone/e-mail directories.

We will not be afraid because we have Choices. We can choose to go around the obstacles or jump the obstacles.  We no longer have to crash into obstacles which knocks us off our course and kills our momentum. We can ride our bikes with confidence knowing that the LA Fellows Program has better prepared us for the future.

(End Pantomime)

At this time, I would like to thank those people responsible for the program.  Without them, we wouldn’t be here. 

Lennie, Allison, Mary, Keri, Roberto, Dale, Doug, Lynnette, Larry, Jim, Kim, Andrea, Helen, Kristi, Marcie, our local Worksource Centers, nonprofit organizations, advisory board and special guests; let’s give them a round of applause.

Lastly, could I have the LA Fellows Cohort 9 stand? Cohort 9 is gathered here today as those bright, shiny pennies ready for the next challenge! Thank you and God bless!