Personal Care Aide Course In Big Bear!

At the Career Center of Big Bear, we are starting a Personal Care Aide course August 18th! If you want to jumpstart your career into the medical field, this is a great way to do so! We are all very excited for this class to begin. The Career Center will be hosting this course, where a teacher will come up to Big Bear three days a week for four weeks to train our students in this profession. 

Once I found out that the course was coming up to our mountain town, I worked with my Career Mentors and an online editing program called LucidPress, to make an official Career Center of Big Bear PCA Flyer. This said flyer has been passed out digitally and on paper-and we are getting amazing results! It looks like this course will be filled to the brim with students who are passionate about this course and are eager to learn. I am so glad that we are able to bring this opportunity to the community of Big Bear! 

-Sarah Avignone

Ryan Schwantner Success Story

When Ryan first started at the Career Center of Big Bear in 2012, he had a lot on his plate. His girlfriend was four months pregnant and because of this new development; many problems arose at home, he didn’t have a stable job and needed to move on towards the next chapter in his life. 

Ryan fought through the hard times and completed Customer Service, Computer Skills and Financial Freedom, along with many Life Skill projects which helped him in his future jobs and personal financial issues. He maintained great attendance and gave everything his all. He has and continues to go above and beyond  to provide a great example of himself for his child to look up to. Ryan is bettering his life, and in turn, bettering his family’s life.

Mr. Schwantner is now working four stable jobs. He works at the Bowling Barn and The Fun Plex as a Game  and Computer Mechanic, employed at Far Sight Studios as a game tester, and is also working at West Coast Amusement as a Contract and Vending Tech.  Fueled by his passion of graphic design, he is able to work in an environment he loves. His dream jobs enable him to be able to provide for his growing family, which is now a family of four. He has two sons, four stable jobs, a home to call his own, and a broadening career path. This is Ryan’s version of success.

-Dezi Guillen

Chautauqua High School Presentation

Earlier this month, Sarah and I went to Chautauqua Highschool to give a presentation about The Career Center and what our program could do for them. We were introduced by the principal, Doug Lane, to all of the school's students gathered in their meeting room. Doug introduced us as the next step in students futures. We then talked with them about our WIA program and the Career Center in general. A lot of the kids seemed really interested!

After our presentation was over Doug gave us their meeting room to stay during break to talk more with anyone who had any questions or wanted to sign up. We got a total of eight people who have is their contact information and set up days to meet up with Cheryl, The Career Center of Big Bear Mentor.  It was so great to see these kids find our program and what we do something that they would like to be apart of!

-Dezi

Sarah Hilton's Story of Success

Sarah Hilton is a former student of The Career Institute. She has successfully accomplished  many of our certification programs such as; Customer Service, Small Business Management and Financial Freedom in 2012. She became employed with Little Ceasar's this past October. Sarah is using the skills she has learned  at the Career Institute in her everyday life while working as a Cashier and managing her own money.

Sarah is currently attending Sierra College in Rocklin to gain her four year degree in becoming an American Sign Language Interpreter. She chose this career path because she sees the need for help for the hearing impaired. Her sister got her involved in signing when she was younger and loves everything about helping others and learning a whole new language without having to speak.

"Thank you for letting me have the chance to obtain the knowledge in small business management and how to handle customers with the courses I was able to be apart of."

Leadership Connection is Right Around the Corner..

The Thursdays of the month of April were slated to be our Leadership Connection Planning Meetings. Dezi and I, along with our Career Mentor,Cheryl, had been meeting with the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce to discuss and plan out our May Leadership Connection. We had been figuring out who our speakers will be, where we will be touring, and what aspects of small town careers we want to focus on. At our last meeting, with Teresa attending, we had finally come up with a complete schedule! Our Leadership Connection this year will start off with a Boat Tour and Lunch on the Lake! We will get a tour of the lake and some good food to go with it! Then, off to the Fire Department we go for our next Leadership Connection meet-up, where we get to see the inner workings of the Department and what working with them is like. Our third stop will be the Radio Station, where we will learn all about what it takes to sell, promote, and work with music. Last but not least, we will be having our tour at the Big Bear Hospital and hosting our Completion Dinner. I am so excited to see the final result of all of our planning! I believe that our WIA Students this year are going to have a blast! I cannot thank the local businesses and Big Bearians enough for their kindness and willingness to help us help our youth! I look forward to seeing the local leaders inspire the future ones! More posts about this coming soon! 

-Sarah Avignone and Dezi Guillen

Gardening with The Community!

On Monday, Sarah and I went over to the Big Bear Community Garden to reach out to them about our program and what we can offer them. We talked a lot about our WIA Program, and how we are trying to generate as many opportunities for the youth in our community as possible. As Ambassadors, we also wanted to make it clear that while The Career Center is here to help out our young adults of Big Bear, we are also here to help the businesses and organizations of Big Bear. We want our small town to thrive and be successful, and if our students can help in this town's succession, we want to do just that. After sharing our individual stories of how this program helped us, we answered their questions about our Work Experience part of the program and how it all works.

Afterward, Dave, one of the employees of the Community Garden, explained to us what they are trying to do for Big Bear and its inhabitants. Dave told us that they are wanting to grow more vegetables and fruits for the food banks and schools, so that our community can have fresh grown food. Their garden is completely organic and mindful of the environment, they are wanting to make a difference. We, The Career Center, are helping young adults build strong foundations for their futures, while the Community Garden is providing healthy foods to the less fortunate and to Big Bear's youth. It is amazing to be able to talk and work with another organization so geared towards helping others.

-Dezi Guillen and Sarah Avignone

Breanna LaVoire Success Story

          

Breanna LaVoire is now successful by having a full-time job as a house cleaner. She starts school for Cosmetology in June where she will be attending part time. Breanna and her boyfriend have their own apartment in Huntington Beach, CA. While attending the Career institute she learned a lot about customer service, and retail sales. She got to do a total of 150 hours of work experience split between Chautauqua High school & The Nutmeg Hair Salon. She has received a lot of work experience with office work as she was offered to be the Executive Assistant at the Career Center of Big Bear for a year and a half. Breanna also got over her fear of being too shy to talk to new people or in front of people. The Career Institute helped her obtain her first car. All of the money she had saved from doing the work experience got her to her goal of owning a car. The Career Institute has helped her get experience to get other jobs, and they have helped her become more knowledgeable with customer service. With the Career Institute’s guidance, Breanna LaVoire is on her way to achieving her dreams. 

-Dezi Guillen 

Glitz and Glam! Denim and Diamonds Gala!

The Career Center of Big Bear made up a crew of current and follow-up WIA students to volunteer at the Denim and Diamonds Gala on March 8th. Denim and Diamonds is one of the biggest fundraising events that Big Bear hosts! This memorable night included a fun theme (western attire and glitter anyone?), live auctions that featured some great prizes from local businesses, live music, and serving an amazing dinner for a great cause! All of the money they raise goes to supporting educational programs serving the Big Bear School District.

With our cowboy hats on, we worked through the evening, and we saw just how much work goes into putting together a large event like this one. Our crew was split up to go to the areas that they needed help most, and I think we all learned a lot about customer service and working in a fast-paced environment. It was great to be able to help out such a spectacular cause! I hope that the Career Center has a chance to help out again next year!

-Sarah Avignone and Dezi Guillen

Sheriff Explorers Outreach

Sarah and I went to the Big Bear Lake Sheriff’s Department to talk with the Sheriff Explorers about the Career Center and what we offer on March 26th. Some of the topics we shared include the Million Dollar Moment, a summary of the programs we offer and what we do, and the positives to continuing your education. The Explorers seemed really interested in the Center and especially interested in the Work Experience opportunity. Being in the Sheriff Explorers’ Program, they already are certified to go on Ride-Alongs and get first-hand experience on how this job works, but with the Work Experience they may have a chance to get paid for it! It was great to learn more about their program, and be able to talk about ours.

-Dezi Guillen and Sarah Avignone 

High Desert Road Trip!

The Career Center of Big Bear gathered up a crew and took a road trip to the High Desert’s America’s Job Center! Living in a small mountain town like Big Bear, opportunities to further your education are slim, and hearing about America’s Job Centers gave us Big Bearians hope!  America’s Job Centers are WIA funded programs for adults, helping them receive advice and job training to ultimately find their perfect job. We had about twenty people attending-WIA and Non-WIA Students- who were very excited to find out more about this program. Only an hour away, this center provides financial aid to pay for a certificate program of your choice. Most of the crew had great first impressions and can’t wait to get started! The crew will be taking training in careers such as EMT, CNA, Aircraft Mechanic, etc. America’s Job Centers is a great opportunity to lead us to success!

-Dezi Guillen and Sarah Avignone

Courage Doesn't Always Roar

An amazing quote by Mary Anne Radmacher!

-Dezi Guillen

Never Give Up

A quote to live by!

-Dezi Guillen and Sarah Avignone

Old Miners' Volunteer Crew!

In the small town of Big Bear Lake, we have a couple of traditions we keep each year. One tradition that has been around forever is Old Miners' Days. Old Miners' Days is a month filled with celebration and cheer! Some of the events held are: Miss Clementine & Lucky Baldwin Pageant, Old Miners Days Festival, Chili Cook-off, Bluegrass Festival, and an Outhouse Race! You read that right. An outhouse race. 

Sally Sherlock, the Director of Communications for the Old Miners' Association, came to the Career Center looking for some volunteers. These events they are having need a lot of extra help, and we at the Career Center were more than happy  to volunteer! After setting up a Volunteer Crew made up of past and present WIA students, we got to work! We have already helped with creating memorabilia sets for their museum, setting up their new office space, making flyers and other signage, and assisting at recent events.

It has been a memorable time so far, and we can't wait to see what's next on the Old Miners' Event Calendar! 

-Dezi Guillen and Sarah Avignone