A young man overcame great challenges to get an education at the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno.

Cesar Oropeza was born with Cerebral Palsy and has been confined to a wheelchair most of his life. But that hasn’t stopped him. In September, Cesar graduated from Sierra Nevada Job Corps!

Cesar heard about Job Corps from a friend late in 2016 and scheduled a tour. He liked what he saw and launched a new career in office administration.

What was the best part of his Job Corps experience? In addition to getting certifications in office administration, Cesar says,

“I would say making friends and expanding my network were the best things about living on center. But I didn’t do too well at first. I had to get up. I had to do my dorm duties, and I had to go to class. Plus, I wasn’t in the best state of mind because…well, a person in my circumstances just gets into dark periods mentally, feeling sorry for myself. But that never works. So, I got better.”

As a student at Sierra Nevada Job Corps, Cesar quickly found that, “There are a lot of nice people out there who were more than willing to help, and they did. Most often, they took turns pushing me around center, and I really appreciated that part,” Cesar said with a laugh. “I would recommend the Job Corps experience to anyone who wants to get off the couch and get started.”

Cesar currently works full-time at the Alorica Call Center as a customer service representative, and lives in a nice apartment in Midtown. How does he manage to get to work? “Sometimes my friend Brock gives me a ride, but mostly I take the RTC Access Bus to and from Alorica.” 

Cesar’s long-term goal is to work in the sports-agency field. “Why not? I made it this far in life. I can go on and do more. I’ll start with Truckee Meadows Community College and bounce from there.”

Director of the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center Rocky Flanary has this this to say about Cesar,

“The determination of people like Cesar to push forward should give us all hope, because it shows us that that just about everything is possible here at Sierra Nevada.”