Success Stories
Sarah Green
June 11, 2021
Sarah Greene came to the Western Maryland Consortium in Garrett County in February 2021 ready to rebuild her life and find meaningful employment. As someone in recovery from being affected by the opioid epidemic, both Sarah’s parole officer and her substance abuse counselor encouraged her to call WMC to learn about the services and assistance that were available to her.
Read MoreJaice Piper
March 12, 2021
Jaice Piper registered as a client with the Western Maryland Consortium in Garrett County in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic devasted the world. She was seeking assistance with funding for a Licensed Practical Nursing training program, and at the time not realizing the need and demand for nurses and other healthcare professionals that would soon be upon us.
Read MoreShadashua Malone
January 12, 2021
Shadashua Malone was an incredibly young teenager when she had her first child; she had dropped out of school to raise her baby and then became pregnant again a few years later. As a single parent of two, Shadashua was forced to live on Temporary Cash Assistance from the Department of Social Services to support her family. She wanted more for her children than what public assistance could provide, so she resolved to turn her situation around. Her children were her strongest motivators to...
Read MoreGracee Jacobs
December 4, 2020
Gracee Jacobs came to the Western Maryland Consortium newly recovering from a heroin addiction with no high school diploma and no work experience. She had started taking GED classes through Allegany County Adult Basic Education’s Career Pathways Program (a shared partners program with the Consortium). Gracee was also supported through the National Health Emergency Dislocated Workers Program Grant implemented by the Consortium.
Read MoreRonda Umbel
November 20, 2020
Ronda came to the Garrett County office of the Western Maryland Consortium in late 2019 seeking a skills upgrade to increase her income and job opportunities. She was a dislocated worker struggling through inconsistent part time jobs and had been affected by the opioid epidemic relying on public assistance to get by in life. After receiving career counseling and information on WIOA funding from the staff at WMC, Ronda decided to train for her CDL A license to earn a better living.
Read MoreBryson Brill
October 21, 2020
Bryson Brill entered the Summer Youth Program through the Western Maryland Consortium in June of 2020 as a recent high school graduate with limited employability skills. He had worked a part time job with no room for growth and he realized he wanted more for his life. With a strong interest in the automotive industry, Bryson’s career counselor through the Consortium was able to secure a paid work experience for him as an Auto Detailer at the Patriot Automotive Group located at 2499 Maryland...
Read MoreNicole Norris
June 30, 2020
Nicole relocated from Texas to Allegany County to be closer to her family. Once established in her new home, Nicole began investigating job search/job training opportunities. Nicole discovered the Western Maryland Consortium, and she immediately applied to explore the options provided by the WIOA Program. Nicole was registered and assessed for appropriate services by Gail Groves, Career Counselor at the Western Maryland Consortium.
Read MoreGregory Baker
June 29, 2020
Many squander opportunity, but not Gregory Baker. Greg had a second chance and he has taken full advantage of it. In his teens he began to experiment with drugs, and eventually became addicted. This lifestyle eventually led him to prison, where he had time to think and make decisions that would have to be walked out once he was released. After his release from prison, he immediately located a faith community in Garrett County that would not only support his decisions made in prison, but also...
Read MoreJohn Lease & Devin Holbrook
May 13, 2020
On April 30, 2019 Verso Corporation announced the closure of the Luke, MD paper manufacturing plant. It wasn’t long before John Lease and Devin Holbrook contacted the Western Maryland Consortium. John registered with the Garrett County office and Devin registered with the Allegany County Office. John’s and Devin’s goals were to use their previous experiences in production and to obtain new skills with industry recognized credentials. They received Consortium Displaced Worker funding and...
Read MoreRenee Lantz
April 23, 2020
Garrett County resident Renee Lantz came to the Western Maryland Consortium in the Summer of 2019 ready to make a career change that would benefit her future. She had a clear goal of becoming Certified in Medical Coding and Billing, but needed some financial assistance to achieve that goal. Renee and her husband have a young family they are raising and it just wasn’t possible for her to go into her training program at Garrett College without the support and financial assistance of the Western...
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