Regis’ Story
Another chance at life can make all the difference in the world.
Regis, 25, didn’t always need a second chance at life. He grew up just like all the other kids in his neighborhood, walking to school and playing outside with friends.
In high school, he started making choices that led him down a path he came to regret. “There’s an easy path [in life] and a rough path,” Regis says. “I’ve been going up the rough path.”
His mom noticed major changes in him. His grades went down, he started hanging out with the wrong friends, and he started to drink and smoke. Going to rehab didn’t work; Regis wasn’t ready to be sober.
“I started trying to change,” says Regis. “I quit hanging around with my friends and changed my life.”
After high school he entered college to be an electrician, but the effects of drinking were too hard to overcome. He recalls one night of binge-drinking that impacted him medically, and pushed him to make a change for the better.
“I started trying to change,” says Regis. “I quit hanging around with my friends and changed my life.”
Avivo career counselor Christine Law-Chapman met Regis one day when she was meeting other men who were enrolling in training at Avivo Institute of Career and Technical Education. She advised him to enroll. “He showed the aptitude to succeed in our programs,” she says.
Regis completed and graduated from Avivo’s Warehouse Pro training program and earned two certifications during training.
Regis’s determination for positive change is impressive. While living in a residential shelter, he completed and graduated from Avivo’s Warehouse Pro training program and earned two certifications that make him more attractive to employers. He had his first job offer three days before graduation.
Regis credits the skills he learned for preparing him for the job hunt and job interviews. In training he learned a number of different resume-building skills, in addition to OSHA safety training and forklift certification.
“Employment won’t be his only goal,” says Law-Chapman. “I see him pursuing additional education.”
Regis has plans for his future. Once he starts working full time, he first plans to get his driver’s license and buy a car. Then, he’d like another chance at college and to live independently in an apartment of his own.