SOUTH DAKOTA—Boxelder Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Angel McKown has had an eventful year. Like all Job Corps students, McKown returned home in mid-March 2020 when the Department of Labor officials made the hard decision to close Job Corp Centers amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Boxelder Job Corps subsequently pivoted to distance learning and McKown shared her experience with Distance Learning in June 2020 and August 2020.

McKown was one of a select number of students who returned to campus on Feb. 26, 2021. Seven months pregnant, she knew that her time on-center would be short-lived, but McKown hoped to earn her high school diploma before her baby’s arrival.  

“Watching life happen to a student after having to leave center can be joyful or disheartening,” says Vocational Development Specialist Wendy Luedke. “In the case of Angel, it was with a sense of incredible wonderment and admiration.”

Although McKown was unable to earn the required credits on this first attempt, she had an amazing support system in both her family and Boxelder instructors she was able to lean on as she entered this new phase of her life. “My teachers—Miss Bonnie, Miss Zelda and Miss Kimberly—were phenomenal and super supportive,” says McKown.

Two months after the birth of her daughter Madalyn Rose, McKown returned to Boxelder and left with her diploma in hand. “A lot of my family did not finish high school,” says McKown. “I was determined to come back to Boxelder because I know I have more potential. I want to show my daughter and 14-year-old brother that it’s possible to do greater things.”

“I’ve talked with many of my past students who had kids at a young age, and it has been amazing to see how they have been successful,” says Boxelder Job Corps Academic Manager Bonnie Fuller. “It seems that by the parents finishing their diplomas at Job Corps, it made them more determined that their kids go to college, which is very uplifting.”

McKown enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new students who’ve arrived on-center but was eager return home to her daughter. “I wanted to hold Maddie in my arms,” she says. “It was hard because of the 'firsts' in her life I missed—her rolling over and sitting up on her own and seeing her first tooth come in.” McKown knows that her sacrifice now translates to a better life for Maddie in the future.

Prior to her pregnancy, McKown worked at Lewis Family Drug in Huron, South Dakota. At Boxelder, she had been enrolled in facilities maintenance. She is optimistic, but pragmatic, about her future. Although she is welcome to return and complete her trade, the center does not provide childcare. If McKown wants to complete her vocational training, she would have to enroll in a center unaffiliated with the Forest Service that does provide childcare.

While back on-center, McKown worked with Boxelder Job Corps CCC Vocational Development Specialist Wendy Luedke to apply for jobs that match her skills and interests and to schedule job interviews. Her future career plans revolve around saving money for a college so she can return to school in the next few years.

McKown has loved animals her whole life and wants to work as a veterinary assistant. She connects with animals in ways that has not always been possible with people. “Living on a farm, when I saw an animal that was hurt, I’d always try to help them,” says McKown. “Every time a baby bird fell, out of a tree, I’d call the Humane Society. I’m sure they got tired of coming over.”

“Overcoming obstacles is something Angel takes on without hesitation,” says Luedke.  “She will be successful at whatever she chooses in life. I wish her and Maddie the best.”

When asked what advice she’d give the world after the social turmoil and the coronavirus of the past few years, McKown reflects. “I would advise that we all need to keep our heads high and keep positive attitudes. If we have negative attitudes, life is not going to get easier—just worse," she says.  “Everything will turn out for the better.”