NORTH CAROLINA—A glass case displays different historical artifacts at the Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, Pennsylvania. Standing nearby, A’Precious Norfleet, a USDA Forest Service Job Corps student from the Lyndon B. Johnson Civilian Conservation Center in Franklin, North Carolina, smiles ear-to-ear in her uniform.

Norfleet hails from Washington, North Carolina, and said she came to the Forest Service Job Corps looking for her path in life. 

The Forest Service Job Corps is unique that students have a pathway for civil service within the federal government. Job Corps changes one life at a time, and Norfleet is one of those students.

“I’ve learned patience, leadership, morals and values,” said Norfleet. “I can do anything I put my mind to.” 

Job Corps students reside on campus while they work toward their career goals. Norfleet learned how to engage and work with a variety of different people.

“Being dorm leader and being in the girl’s dorm really challenged me the most,” said Norfleet. Learning to work with people from every walk of life challenged Nortfleet, who said, “I normally stay in my bubble. And this has allowed me to come out of it.”

Effective leaders still know when to listen and take feedback. Norfleet learned how to blend these two dynamics together in her own way.

“By listening to my mentors and following the instructions given to me,” said Norfleet, “I was also able to navigate by learning the different people in my group and asking them how I would be able to help them help themselves.”

As students attend Job Corps, they may learn more about their own potential. Keith Bowers, liaison specialist, Lyndon B. Johnson Civilian Conservation Center, North Carolina, was someone who got to see Norfleet make that personal discovery.

“A’Precious came to Job Corps after having tried out a few different career paths,” said Bowers. “Through her hard work, communication skills, and willingness to try new things, she has found a new pathway. She could always be counted on to be a positive role model for her peers, and when given the opportunity to take part in an internship with USDA Forest Service at Grey Towers National Historic Site, she took on that challenge with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and surpassed all expectations.”

While Norfleet does have her own ambitions, watching her peers succeed is equally as satisfying.

“The dedication the students have to making a better life for themselves,” said Norfleet. “The hard work and effort they put in to get towards the goal of completing a trade in the Job Corps.”

As Norfleet looks ahead, she wants to stay employed with the Forest Service, and she has high expectations for herself. “I see myself working my way up the ladder and becoming the Chief of the Forest Service,” said Norfleet.

For prospective Job Corps students, Norfleet provides some guidance of those looking to attend the program.

“Things get better,” said Norfleet. “Make every choice that you think you should make, and it will be the best choices you make in your entire life.”

The Forest Service Job Corps is an interdepartmental partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor and the Forest Service. The Department of Labor provides policy and operational funding, while the Forest Service integrates with national forests to bolster conservation efforts on public lands. 

Job Corps recognizes that students come from a variety of different backgrounds. Civilian Conservation Centers, the name for the Forest Service-operated centers, form the bulwark of federally operated centers that provide the public a broad pool of applicants ready to enter the American workforce.