Program Details

Scarlett O’Neal joined the St. Clair County WIOA Youth Program, hoping to get a second chance at her education. Scarlett struggled with focusing and staying on task throughout her academic career and had no way to manage her ADHD symptoms, and she dropped out by the time she reached 11th grade. Scarlett came into the program with a plan. She first wanted to gain job skills, and most importantly, she tried to remedy her drop-out status and give education another shot by getting her High School Equivalency (formerly known as GED). While her strife with mental health and personal hardships have complicated her journey to success, Scarlett’s end goal is simple: she wants to be a Park Ranger. At the beginning of February 2022, Scarlett began her Paid Work Experience at The Weingarten, a restaurant and event venue in Belleville, IL. Initially, she solely worked on event staff duties, but after just one month, she could move up and work alongside the kitchen staff. This was very exciting for Scarlett as one of her passions is cooking. However, it wasn’t easy to get into kitchen duties. Initially, Scarlett struggled to keep up with the fast-paced environment and perform essential kitchen functions. Staying organized also proved difficult when she showed up to work on a Sunday only to find out she wasn’t scheduled that day. But it has all been a part of the process, and Scarlett proves to herself every day that if she can do better than the day before, she is on track. Scarlett completed her pre-registration steps at Southwestern Illinois College to begin HSE classes in the Fall. She begins classes on August 22nd. Although her story is not over as a WIOA Youth Participant, Scarlett’s consistent and outstanding progress is a testament that every step towards success– no matter how big or small– is an accomplishment.