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AmeriCorps Members Speak Out
Jose Alvarez
AmeriCorps Member Gives Kids What He
Couldn't Have Growing Up
Jose Alvarez's family moved around a lot. Throughout his childhood, Jose attended several different schools and was forced to find new friends with each move. At 14, his family finally landed in Hayward. He graduated high school with the same students from his freshman class, but shortly after he turned 18, Jose was told he'd either have to move out of the house or start paying rent to his family.
Jose was stuck. He had no idea what he wanted to do after high school, and he couldn't afford to stay with his family or live on his own. Then Jose heard about Job Corps. A no-cost education and vocational training program, Job Corps is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor to help young people, ages 16 through 24, learn a trade, earn a high school diploma or GED and get help finding a good job. Jose enrolled in the program.
"It was a great opportunity for me because I didn't know what I wanted to do once I graduated high school," he said. "I thought I might as well learn a trade while I figure out what to do next. So, I stayed in the dorms provided by Job Corps and was paid a small stipend every two weeks to learn how to be a carpenter."
Alvarez remained in the Job Corps program for eight months. In that time, Jose learned basic carpentry skills like how to use a hammer, read a tape measure, and build scaffolds and sawhorses. He also did some roofing and concrete work, and learned how to use a jack hammer.
Jose's experiences led him to pursue a career with the local carpentry union. However, one of his instructors, who happened to be a former Habitat employee, suggested that Jose first pursue a year of service in the AmeriCorps program with Peninsula Habitat. "John (Talamantez) said I could use Peninsula Habitat's AmeriCorps program as a stepping stone to get into the union," Jose said. "There's currently an 18 month wait to get into the union, but having AmeriCorps experience under my belt would move me to the top of the list. I would still be an apprentice carpenter, but with a year of training already under my belt."
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