Faces of Job Corps - Bobby Ollivierre

Edison, NJ, September 30, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Bobby Ollivierre is a twenty - four year old Edison Job Corps graduate who was born on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Before his second birthday, his mother decided to move their family to the United States in hopes of finding work. They relocated to Brooklyn, New York and stayed there for twelve years. While Bobby did well in elementary school he had a somewhat mundane attitude towards education which continued through and into middle school. During Bobby’s final year of middle school his mother was able to move his family to a two family house in a better educational district.

The family’s “move up” did not last very long. One day, Bobby was caught by surprise when his mother received an eviction notice and a visit from the county sheriff informing his family that they had twenty-four hours to evacuate their home. Although Bobby’s mother was current on rent she was unaware that the landlord was not making mortgage payments on the house. “We had no place to go to,” he recalls, and “we were forced to temporarily stay at a local shelter.”

Eventually they were able to relocate to Manhattan which allowed Bobby to enroll in Norman Thomas High School. However, due to family reasons and the financial situation of their household, Bobby was not able to complete his high school studies. He had to look for an alternative program which would allow him to continue his education and resolve the housing situation in which he now found himself. Covenant House was a temporarily solution to this problem, but Bobby knew he needed to find a permanent answer to address his ongoing difficulties. The Job Corps program, which he learned about from the Covenant House staff, seemed to be a great next step.

“The Edison Job Corps Academy has been the program that has given me the greatest expectation of having a successful future,” emphasizes Bobby when asked about the importance of the Job Corps program in his life. “I was able to obtain my GED, A+ certification and complete the Office Administration program, receiving six Microsoft Certifications and an IC3 certification.” He not only represented Job Corps in the National Job Corps Commercial featured on national TV, but also served as spokesperson on Capitol Hill when he shadowed Congressman Frank Pallone and his staff as part of the Job Corps 45th Anniversary activities.

While at Job Corps, Bobby also enrolled at Middlesex County College (MCC) which he completed with honors in May of 2010. He was successful in pursuing his studies and was recognized by the Middlesex County College Division of Business, Computer Science, & Engineering Technologies faculty and administrators in achieving the Dean’s Commendation for his academic work many times. He was also awarded with a scholarship toward his college tuition by The Lions Club of Warren County for his involvement in community service activities. In addition to his studies, Bobby was also working part time as an office assistant in the purchasing department of Middlesex County College.

In his spare time, Bobby enjoys working on his programming skills particularly in 3D applications for use in game development. He hopes to utilize those skills as an asset when entering the workforce. Bobby is currently furthering his education as a student at Adelphi University in Long Island, NY where he is continuing his passion in Computer Science. He plans to start a career with a software design company, where he can gain the necessary experience to operate his own business one day. “Job Corps has prepared me to compete in today’s workforce and to be ready to overcome any obstacles that life may bring,” states Bobby.

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