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Kevin is a jack-of-all-trades. Whether it’s welding, construction, barbering, or any other number of things, if you’ve got a job that needs doing, he’s your man. “I’m a hands on type of person. I’m good at reading people and solving problems.” And while his end game is to get into the entertainment business by opening up his own lounge (“a place where you can celebrate and it’s ‘family’”) he also says that “right now it’s about building the knowledge and the worth of self.” For Kevin, that’s meant getting his Production Technician Program certification from Cape Fear Community College. But he’s far from done.

Kevin was partly motivated to take courses at Cape Fear by his time with StepUp Wilmington. “I was generally interested to see what was going on. I already had a job, but I was looking for more pay. The name of the game is to get paid. I was curious. I heard through friends about a program that allowed people like myself to use different resources so I decided to see what they were talking about.”

Despite initially just coming to StepUp Wilmington out of curiosity, Kevin was impressed with what he found. “There were people who had testimonies, people who I could relate with. They were patient. It was a real experience.”

“I didn’t think I needed it until I was actually there,” Kevin reflected. “I never had a problem getting a job after being offered an interview… but it was just a matter of getting offered the interview. Even though I was already confident, [StepUp] made me more confident. It showed me that it was what you know and how you apply that. It showed me that even when I might not have the qualifications, I still know my worth,” Kevin said in reference to one of StepUp Wilmington’s key mantras: “I am a valuable person of great worth.” Since his time with StepUp Wilmington, Kevin has completed Cape Fear’s Production Technician Program and will soon start their Welding Technology program.

“What I tell people about StepUp is to go there with a clear mind. Go into it knowing that these people don’t want anything from you. If you go in with dedication and a clear mind, the sky’s the limit. They plugged me in different places, got people to call me, I had advisors calling me… It was one of the key major things that reminded me to not hit the break, but to hit the gas. If somebody’s here that wants to help you, you just have to be willing to help yourself.”

If you’re someone who’s looking for work, or looking for a better paying job, and you’re interested in taking classes to do so, contact us at StepUp Wilmington and let us work with you to make it happen!