Students in YouthBuild Earn Diplomas

It is a proud moment for a student when they finally earn their diploma.

Tonight 12 students from the YouthBuild program donned a cap and gown and received their diploma as their proud parents and friends looked on. The YouthBuild program helps at risk kids ages 16 through 18 acquire skills they will use in future jobs. YouthBuild program director Trayce Milton says her time with these graduates has been quite a journey.

"They come in, all walks of life, and you know some are really quiet, some are really loud and rambunctious and they start to settle down… but from the beginning to now they have blossomed, they have opened up, they have changed.  They are a riot, they make you laugh, they make you cry; you get to know them and their families," says Trayce Milton the YouthBuild Program Manager.

The students trained with the PACT construction program and helped to build houses on Greenwood Avenue. Now many of the students will start looking for jobs and some are going to pursue a college degree. Either way graduates say the YouthBuild program had a positive infulence on their lives

"It feels pretty good, the program was excellent, I encourage people that are in Fox Fire or James Madison to go through YouthBuild.  It is a very good program to go through, it will prepare you for the real world," says Jayce Adams a YouthBuild graduate.

Tonight was about celebrating these students accomplishments, but funding for the program has been cut. YouthBuild will reapply for funding next Spring and is asking the community to write to Congressman Zack Space to show their support.  Milton says this program is important because it shows young people there is someone out there who cares about them and will offer help.

Katie Jeffries

KJeffries@whizmediagroup.com