Success Story:
Volunteering Inspires Young Woman to Pursue a Career in Education
Leslie Lara, North Carolina
Leslie Lara is a very dedicated, young woman who has worked hard to accomplish her goals. As a daughter of farmworkers, she saw how her parents suffered financial hardships because they did not have the opportunity to pursue an education. At the age of 17, Leslie Lara enrolled in Telamon-TRC’s Workforce and Career Services, while attending Nash Rocky Mount Early College High School. Since her family worked in agriculture, she qualified for the Nation Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP). With Telamon’s support, she received counseling services to help with her personal, educational and professional development.
Leslie Lara always had a passion for teaching and working with children. While in high school, she volunteered during the weekends and evenings at her church tutoring kindergarten students that needed extra help. Her volunteer experience inspired her to pursue a career in education so that she could continue teaching children.
In May of 2020, Leslie Lara graduated from Nash Early College High School. Just one month later, she graduated from Nash Community College with an Associate in Arts (AA) degree. She was also accepted to East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in Education. Once she earns a bachelor’s degree, Leslie Lara plans to pursue a master’s degree as well as a Ph.D. in Education. With hard work and determination, she believes that nothing is impossible.
Leslie Lara’s desire for a better life, combined with her hard work and determination—and the support Telamon-TRC—gave her the foundation she needed to pursue her educational goals. Telamon is excited see her academic and career achievements in future!
Telamon-TRC’s Workforce & Career Services encompasses a broad array of customized work readiness and job skill training programs, focusing on helping farmworkers, and youth who seek to build skills and career paths. Work readiness and job skill development are often supplemented by language services (ESL), educational support (GED) and includes one-on-one counseling, group workshops and supportive services.
Since 1965 Telamon-TRC has helped individuals like you access services that lead to better jobs, better lives, and better communities. Find a Workforce & Career Services program near you today.
