“Hi, my name is Eboni Johnson. I am from Detroit, MI. I’m 23 years old, and I am a parent of three beautiful children. My oldest daughter Ariana is 7 years old, she is smart and will talk for hours. My second oldest daughter Ja’Mya is 4 years old, she is smart and outgoing. My youngest is my little man Jeremiah, he is 3 years old and a little joker–he likes playing jokes on the girls.

I have had a lot of life changing experiences.  Being a parent, starting at the age of 15 years old, was definitely one of them. But I also faced a lot of disappointment in my home town of Detroit. In 2006, I was told that I had bipolar disorder and began counseling for several months. In 2010, I was charged with assault with the intent to murder and spent several months in jail facing a sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison. While in jail, I had months to think about my next steps and how I was going to change my life. When my charges were dropped, I was release to the streets with no where to go. I stood outside of Wayne County Jail wondering where do I go from here… and standing there all alone, I realize I needed to make a change – not just for myself, but for the lives of my 3 children.  I made the decision to better my life.    In that moment, I made the decision to come to Job Corps. 

I enrolled at the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center on August 28^th, 2012.  I had mixed emotions at first.  I missed my children and was not sure I could stay away from them.  I considered leaving the program many times.  But the staff here really encouraged me to stay focused and to complete my training for my kids.

Since I have been in Job Corps, I have completed the Security Trade and have had many leadership rolls including Class Ambassador, Student Mentor, Floor Leader, CPP Assistant, received Team 1 Overall Student of the Month, Student of the Month in Read 180 and Math, and Mentor of the Month.  I am within 2 credits from completing my high school diploma, an accomplishment I thought I would never achieve. 

I believe without Job Corps I would probably be mixed up in the wrong crowd, in jail, or dead.  This program has given me the opportunity to have a better life experience for myself and my children.  It has helped me to be better a person and taught me how to cope with my attitude.  Prior to Job Corps I was always negative about everything, but Job Corps taught me how to find the positive in all situations.  I have also learned how to better communicate with people and how to approach people in a professional way.  I am very grateful for the opportunity that Job Corps has given me and am looking forward to having a successful future.

I will complete Job Corps this spring and hope to gain work experience this summer through employment with the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island. Next fall, I would like to move my family to Grand Rapids and enroll at GRCC to work towards a degree Criminal Justice.  I hope to someday be able to help other people who have faced similar situations as mine, and want to mentor to both young mothers and incarcerated youth.  Eventually I dream of working for the FBI.

I do all of this with one thing in mind: my children.  They are my motivation and my purpose.  Job Corps has given them a new life.” 

 -Eboni Johnson

Eboni Johnson speaking at Community Relations Council Meeting