Prince Kargbo calls his family back home in Las Vegas. Prince is living seven hours north in Reno where he’s a student at Truckee Meadows Community College.

Originally from Sierre Leone, Africa, Prince’s family ended up in Nevada where he later learned about Sierra Nevada Job Corps.

“This journey was a good journey. Like they say, it takes a village to raise one person. And I feel like this village was my village that raised me, to be who I am right now.”

Through Sierra Nevada Job Corps’ advanced career training or ACT program, Prince was able to enroll at Truckee Meadows Community College. He’s studying construction management and architecture. But behind the hard trade is a soft heart.

“I’d like to use my skills to not just build but to help people”

He’s always had a desire to be there for people in difficult situations.

“Go around helping people by building houses in places where there have been hurricanes, tsunamis, and stuff like that…My mom, yeah, she’s proud. She said, ‘if I can dream it, just do it, conquer it.’”

Prince is following his mother’s wise counsel.

“Well, I have to say this is the best decision I made coming here, basically changed my life in a way, because I was in a slump, and now I know where I’m going to be going in the future.”

He will never forget the support, encouragement, and training he received at Sierra Nevada Job Corps. One of his instructors, who is a Job Corps alum, was a key figure in Prince’s success.

“He also knew what I was going through and what I needed to do, and the right path I needed to take to get me to my goal faster. And he understood that, so he led me down the right path.”