Rachel Orona

Rachel Orona admits that before coming to the Inland Empire Job Corps Center, her life was a black hole. She saw herself as just another poor young Latina girl from a dysfunctional family, with no bright future and going nowhere in life.

When she was 16-years-old, Rachel dropped out of high school because traditional school. After she stopped going to school, Rachel would stay home watching the kids and TV, and sleep all day. When she turned 18, her family told her she was old enough to go to Job Corps. She was accepted on October 26, 2009, the date she says she knew for the first time in there was no going back to her former life.

She had two goals when arriving at Job Corps: to get a high school diploma and learn a vocational trade. At times, Rachel was nervous because she had been out of school for so long and never worked before. However her dreams and goals were achieved. She is a high school graduate and received the following certifications: Forklift, OSHA 10, Scaffold, CPR, and First Aid certifications.

Coming to Job Corps was the best choice Rachel ever made to better her future. Thanks to SIATech and Job Corps, she gained the skills needed to be successful in life and not just another statistic. Rachel now believes she can be a responsible, productive adult of the United States of America.

Rachel believes everything happens for a reason. And while one might not understand it at that moment, the reasons eventually become clear.