Adrian De Jesus

Adrian De Jesus attended The Way to Work’s (formerly known as VFI)  Hospitality & Tourism program in the Fall of 2004 after his aunt recommended it to him. He had recently left his home country of Guyana, where he and his younger brother lived in an orphanage after his father passed away and left his mother with eight children she couldn’t afford to care after. There he dreamt of becoming a cricket player. That dream quickly dissolved when he arrived in America and tried adapting to his new life.

The Way to Work offered him the support network he needed to pass his GED exam and to pursue higher education. Adrian would sometimes go without eating or bring his lunch in to save the small lunch stipend he received at The Way to Work, up to $20 weekly, and give it to his aunt for room and board. “I never at once thought of stealing or living above my means,” Adrian said.

Upon successful completion, The Way to Work placed him at the NY Sports Club, where he earned $8 an hour. Later he worked two additional jobs doing delivery and at a restaurant simultaneously for six months, saving enough money to enroll into Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology the following Fall. He earned his Associate’s in Aviation Maintenance in the Fall of 2007, specializing in Airframe and Power plants and graduated with honors in Spring 2008.

Adrian said that "The Way to Work laid a foundation for him. If it weren’t for The Way to Work," he said he would probably be “working hard, probably cleaning, and not have any plans for the future, not having a push to better myself or willing to try to be successful.”

Adrian, now 26, is licensed to work on any plane in the United States. He said he travels to Guyana to volunteer and bring items to distribute. He aims to be in a position to be able to give back to the society he came from. He is currently working as an assistant admissions counselor at Vaughn College where is continuing his studies in aviation mechanics. He expects his Bachelor’s degree in the Fall of 2009 and will apply for his U.S. Citizenship next year. His goal is to work with the Federal Aviation Administration as a safety instructor for the public.