Success Story
Owen
After Owen C. graduated from Decatur Central High School in 2018, he had nothing planned for his future. With no clear path in front of him, he took a wrong turn and ended up in prison.
When he got out, “I was doing nothing,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Then he spotted a Facebook ad for BY Training. He started attending classes, and he credits Daniel Perryman – recruiter, navigator and instructor for BY Training – with helping him stay in the program when he wanted to give up.
“Daniel showed me the route to take,” Owen said. With Daniel’s encouragement, Owen worked hard and was the valedictorian of his BY class.
Owen earned his OSHA 30 certification and even racked up some college credits. He received a drill set and other tools so he could show up ready to work on his first day. Then, at an onsite-job demonstration, Taylor Construction spotted Owen’s talents and hired him as a carpenter for the new IU Health hospital in downtown Indianapolis, one of the biggest construction projects in the U.S.
Now, Owen has a realistic picture of what lies ahead.
“BY offered me an opportunity,” Owen said. “It’s on you to take it. Some people get it early and some people never get it.”
At age 24, Owen gets it.
“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, working in the cold and heat,” he said. “But if you ride this out, you can develop a good skill set, learn a lot and have a good retirement.”
Stories like Owen’s wouldn’t be possible without support from Lilly Endowment – Thank you!