Student Success Story: Paige
“Paige is an intelligent and thoughtful young woman with determination to succeed no matter the odds.” – Lukas McCoy
At Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG), we believe that every young person deserves the chance to reach their full potential—no matter their background or circumstances. Our goal is to equip students with the skills, confidence, and work readiness experiences they need to not only graduate but to succeed in the workforce in the future. Paige is a great example of JOG’s goal in action: a participant who is growing from where they were when they entered the JOG program to where they want to be.
Paige joined the JOG program at Liberty High School after winter break in 2023. Though she came to the program as a shy and soft-spoken young woman, she was very interested in learning how to become more outgoing and gaining confidence. Her Career Specialist, Lukas McCoy, began to work with her to express her thoughts in a group setting: “I encouraged her to speak her mind and [showed her] that her thoughts and opinions mattered just as much as theirs…. [We] began to see progress as time went on.”
One day, Paige had an especially hard time with some of her classmates and went to Lukas to talk. In this discussion, she decided that she was going to face the challenge head on. Lukas explained it best, saying, “I offered to move her to a period that was quieter and with fewer students, but she looked me in the eye and told me that she needed to learn to overcome these kinds of challenges.” This is where Paige’s confidence began to grow. She worked hard with Lukas on her interpersonal skills to become who she wanted to be since joining JOG. By the end of the semester, Paige was the most outspoken person in her JOG class! She provided thoughtful insights and expressed her thoughts with conviction.
Paige has translated that confidence into the summer youth employment program. Though she still enjoys the quiet, her worksite frequently requires her to pair up with another student worker, and she has shown herself to be a great team player. She has set the example for her coworkers by not quitting until the job is done. Now that her summer work experience has concluded, she has been following her ambition to be a writer and has even begun writing her first novel! She plans to use these writing skills to go to college and pursue a career in writing. Paige’s example of confidence and growth is truly the JOG mission in action. We are so proud of her growth on her journey with JOG!
