Success Stories
Tricia Riley
September 16, 2022
In April of 2019, Tricia Riley, a 22-year employee at Verso Paper Mill, Luke MD, along with 699 other workers learned that within 60 days they would be out of work because the mill was closing its doors. “Losing my job after so many years and having to start over at my age was definitely devastating.”
Read MoreZachary Knode
June 27, 2022
Zachary was a 19-year-old high school dropout, who wanted to secure a career and become financially stable to provide a better life for himself.
Read MoreMatt Farris
September 23, 2021
On Tuesday April 30, 2019, Matt Farris began his workday at the Verso Paper Mill located on the banks of the Potomac River in the small village of Luke MD. The news soon spread quickly that morning that the Luke Mill, one of the oldest manufacturing plants in the county for over 131 years, announced that the Luke operation will be ending production
Read MoreDevon King
August 5, 2021
Devon King came to Western Maryland Consortium with a dream. He wanted to drive the big rigs and honk his horn at all the little kids making the arm gesture. Devon came to WMC as a 21-year-old out of school youth.
Read MoreSarah 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 More