Every week, I like to bring our readers a story about soem of our awesoem HIRE LA’s Youth students. This week, whil the reading is a little long, it’s a very inspirational story.
Enjoy =)
Seargant Benham with Quincy and Randall.
Off the corner of Pico and San Pedro in downtown Los Angeles, there a numerous stores and warehouses that establish this neighborhood as Los Angeles’ Fashion District. Among these vast lots and buildings, there is one warehouse that is distinct from the rest. While on the outside there is nothing to distinguish this building from the others, on the inside two young men are given the opportunity to build a foundation for their future careers. As you walk into the JROTC warehouse past the various service-oriented posters, one simple sign hangs more noticeably than the rest. This sign simply states:
“Tell me and I’ll forget,
show me and I might remember,
Involve me and I’ll Learn.”
This is the motto that Sergeant Benham—manager and operator of the warehouse—stands by. Sergeant Benham has been operating this warehouse for over twenty years; but this past autumn he contracted two young men through the HIRE LA’s Youth Program. These two young men, Randall Glover and Quincy Brown became involved with HIRE LA through the Boyle Heights Youth Opportunity Center. While this was their first working experience, Sergeant Benham was quickly impressed by their work ethics.
Quincy was the first of the two young men to be hired. He started in the back of the warehouse counting and recording inventory. As Quincy grew accustomed to his tasks, he soon invited his friend from school, Randall into the program. Like Quincy, Randall started off doing basic tasks, and as time progressed, he was also moved into higher positions that involved more responsibilities.
Today, both young men are working in the office located in the front on the warehouse and across from Sergeant Benham. Their responsibilities include, counting inventory, organizing and managing the warehouse, creating a computer programming system to track inventory, and helping customers who enter the warehouse. They are both proud to have the opportunity to work for the JROTC explaining, “we would not have jobs if it wasn’t for this program, and Sergeant Benham has given us more opportunities than any other boss.”
The JROTC helps young people across the country in building self-confidence leadership and developing pride in their work. Although Quincy and Randall are not enrolled in the JROTC, they were able to acquire the tools they need to build sustainable futures for themselves under Sergeant Benham’s leadership. They both expressed wishes to continue in blue-collar positions such as working in warehouses while they fulfill their aspirations to attend LA Trade Tech College.
In the future they both would like to go into construction. Quincy and Randall stated that the time they spent working at the JROTC Warehouse has inspired them to plan for their futures. They truly involved themselves into this working experience and from it, like Sergeant Benham’s motto states, they have truly learned more about working, professionalism, and their own capabilities.
