Howard was a native of Flint and he knew his way around. He had just returned home and was ready to make a difference. A lot had changed since he had last seen his hometown. Then again, a lot can happen during six years of incarceration. Where would he start first? Fortunately, there were already community partners in place that were ready to assist him.

Howard was involved with the Offender Success program and GST Michigan Works! partnership. As part of the program, he took the CASAS assessment and completed the necessary employment preparation workshops to receive his certificate of completion. This certificate was designed to prepare justice involved customers for the workplace. Throughout this process, he was already showing signs of being a great student for training. It was obvious that it wasn’t easy for him, however. When asked how he was holding up, he said, “It seems hard sometimes, but I just fix my face and keep going.” He did just that. He had a plan. He wanted to complete CDL-A training and work as a commercial truck driver.
CDL-A was a natural fit for Howard. His instructors at 160 Driving Academy said he seemed to be able to do most of the maneuvers effortlessly. He passed quickly and immediately began searching for employment. He didn’t need to look far.

Howard had been working a few odd jobs at Richfield Rentals. The manager was paying attention to his work ethic. They asked Howard if he would be interested in working for the company driving their commercial and non-commercial trucks as needed. He accepted the position and is making a great wage working forty hours per week, while getting tons of experience. He is a truck driver now, and there’s no need to fix a face that’s smiling. Great job, Howard!