Students and staff at the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul, Minnesota took a few minutes out of their busy schedules to explain why Job Corps works and how positive relationships are helping young people be successful.

“Hi everyone. My name is Ivey Franklyn. I attend Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps. One of my favorite role models here is Arron from the recreation department. He motivated me a lot. He pushed me through Job Corps every single day. Anything I need to talk with him about, he would be there for me.”

“My name is Oaisha Kennedym, and I’m a student at the center. My relationship with the staff at the center is the main reason I chose to return. They have been super supportive here. The staff makes a connection with students here. And, a lot of the female staff have been very good resources for me to go talk with them and speak with them.”

Gary Ly works at the Hubert H. Humphrey center at the career transitions office. He says, “From day one, we put a high emphasis on building good relationships with the students. In a lot of ways, we’re like social works and counselors. For me, I just try and find ways to relate to them and whatever they’re going through. Whether it’s work related or personal or stuff like that, I always try and give them something positive.”

John Howitz, the academics manager, adds this, “I think relationships are the key to all learning. I think that you may not like who you’re working for, and you know, the world can be pretty tough and things can be hard, but if you can enjoy each other and have a positive relationship, you can get so much more out of students and so much more out everybody you work with. One thing I like to say around school here is, ‘learning should be fun.’ So, why not have positive relationships and make it fun for everybody.”