Student Spotlight: Heather Brenon-DiBenedetto

Career Goal: To have a job where I can provide for my children.

Why did you join the program? To provide a better life for my three beautiful children.


What has been your favorite part of the experience? The people have been the best part. They are all very kind and willing to help when they can.

What are your hopes for the future? To buy a home and to be able to have my family there for the holidays.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? This program is amazing. It really has helped me not only with my career but also with my personal life.

Student Spotlight: Moriya L. Ariff

Career Goal: To be able to obtain and maintain a career not just a job.

Why did you join the program? To be able to learn a trade in  addition to the degree I currently hold in Culinary Arts.

What was the hardest part of the class? Learning to put aside time to study and complete homework.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? Learning the operation of a variety of tools that I've never used before. I have always enjoyed making something simple/ugly into something beautiful and hand-crafted.

What are your hopes for the future? Financial freedom - providing a life for myself and my children that we have never been able to have.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? Exactly this - this program is not only informative but also hands-on. The instructors and staff provide anything they can to assist you. It's an opportunity too make a difference in the field and community.

Student Spotlight: Marisol Quintana

Career Goal: Welding, carpentry, landscaping, firefighter, police officer, nurse - a little bit of everything!

Why did you join the program? To seek a high-paying job that allows me to grow as an individual and financially.

What was the hardest part of the class? Not allowing self-doubt to get the best of me.


What has been your favorite part of the experience? The people, the community and the opportunity.

What are your hopes for the future? Self-growth, furthering my education, financial freedom and stability for retirement.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? Do it, do your best, push through and believe in yourself. You're worth it!

Student Spotlight: Sydney Rabun

Career Goal: To be in the Air Force and a psychiatrist in the long run.

Why did you join the program? I needed financial security and a career to take care of my two kids. 

What was the hardest part of the class? The math.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? Working with all the women in my class and learning new information.

What are your hopes for the future? To be stable in the military so that I can give my kids the life they want and deserve.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? I would give them all the facts and tell them how eye-opening it is, helpful and fun it is to work here. 

Student Spotlight: Brittany Burgett

Career Goal: Have a career where I can go to work and honestly say I know what I'm doing, and to love it.

Why did you join the program? To make a better life for me and my family. To better myself in knowledge. To have a career.

What was the hardest part of the class? The hardest part was learning the specifics of all the tools, and the physical demands.


What has been your favorite part of the experience? My favorite part was having this huge group of women to help me correct my errors and to strive as a team to reach a goal.


What are your hopes for the future? My hopes are to be an electrician and to eventually be able to teach others the things I've learned in my trade.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? Do it! Work hard and always listen. You're on a team - help others and let them help you. When you leave, you'll know that you're ready to go into your trade and give your all.

Student Spotlight: Kirsten Scannell

Career Goal: To have opportunities for a rewarding career that earns a better wage than my previous positions.

Why did you join the program? I joined the program to expand my skills and challenge my limits. 

What was the hardest part of the class? Honestly the hardest things were sitting in the classroom instead of hands on.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? I really loved the hands-on experience. It was empowering.

What are your hopes for the future? I hope that I can provide a stable environment for my family.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? I would highly encourage all women to attend this program. The knowledge was invaluable, and my self-confidence has improved.

Student Spotlight: Akimi Warren

Career Goal: I aim to learn about different areas of trade work, so I can plan a career path to become a successful model for my family.

Why did you join the program? To get a great start on my path to success.

What was the hardest part of the class? There was no hard part for me. I truly enjoyed this experience.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? Creating friendship with my peers, getting certified, and learning new skills.

What are your hopes for the future? To become a strong example for my children and other women.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? This program is worth your time.

Student Spotlight: Stella Sigambris

Career Goal: I would like to obtain a position in the trades or an apprenticeship where I would be able to expand my skills and be of value to a company.

Why did you join the program? I learned about the program after reading about it in a brochure. I found it very pertinent to my interest in joining the trades, and it is geared towards helping women to gain some basic training and expose them to do trades.

What was the hardest part of the class? As I expected, there is a manual work involved and skills that I never used before that I have learned from the program.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? To complete a project is the most satisfying part to see. I have learned about building materials, construction tools and how to properly work with them, and it's very gratifying.

What are your hopes for the future?To be able to obtain an apprenticeship or entry-level position in the trades, where I will be able to further learn and fine-tune my skills, and be more valuable to the company I am with.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? I would highly recommend the program to anyone interest in the trades. It will give them an excellent introduction to the trades and allow them to have hands-on experience.

Student Spotlight: Caitlyn David

Career Goal: I would like to start my own company one day. I'm mainly interested in the real estate industry, so this class definitely gives me more confidence and increases the level of independence I could achieve in that industry.

Why did you join the program? Around the time I found this program, I was just finding myself thrown into the world on my own and this time with a one-year-old little boy. When I found the advertisement for this class, it listed that it was free, and they offered child care and transportation assistance. I was amazed how all my current setbacks were relieved by this one program.

What was the hardest part of the class? The hardest part of the class was keeping up with the fast pace learning that the short class offers.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? My favorite part of the class was being able to work with my hands and create something from nothing.

What are your hopes for the future? I hope to be an inspiration to other women stuck in dead-end jobs to step out of their comfort zone and realize their full potential. 

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? Don't doubt yourself. The class is available to you free of charge, and if it doesn't already meet all of your needs, they will be more than accommodating.

Student Spotlight: Sinafea Lindsey

Career Goal: It's either going to be in the electrical or welding field. I'm leaning towards electrical right now because that's everywhere every day.

Why did you join the program? I wanted skills to take care of my home and to make a living. Child care was my biggest barrier in the past. WinC lifted that burden for me, and that made a huge impact on being focused.

What was the hardest part of the class? Nothing was hard. I enjoyed every part of training. Any challenges I might've encountered were just tests of my character - they were opportunities to grow where needed.

What has been your favorite part of the experience? Anything that involved heavy lifting was my favorite. I enjoyed our demolition project because there was a lot opportunity for me to do that.

What are your hopes for the future? To simply pay the bills  and take care of the kids by making a good living wage in the industry.  

What would you tell someone who is considering joining the program? Join! But show up 100% percent with a solid goal in front of you. Keep your eyes on the goal with an open mind. And BRING A GOOD ATTITUDE no matter what. That makes a big difference in everything you do.