At 16 years old, Charity Luster enrolled in Loring Job Corps, knowing that as a high school dropout she would need to get her GED to reach the dreams that were forming in her mind. Luster wasn’t sure what path life was going to take her on, but she knew she knew she wanted to do better and she wanted to be better.
Fast forward to 2014, Luster is a CISCO Networking student enrolled at Loring Job Corps. It was there that she realized that the more something challenged her, the more drive it gave her to conquer and succeed. After graduating from the CISCO Networking class, Luster chose to continue her studies at Northern Maine Community College, where she earned her associates degree in information technologies.
That “Do better, be better” mentality that Luster had adopted led her to continue her educational path into Syracuse University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in information management & technologies.
Luster is now a senior analyst for program management at DELL. And even though she lives a busy life, she finds it important to remember how she got to where she is now. Where would she be if she hadn’t gotten that first glimpse of IT while enrolled in Job Corps.
What would have become of her if she hadn’t been strong enough to keep pushing when things got difficult? These reflections have motivated Luster to not only stay involved with Loring Job Corps, but to become an industry mentor and advisor for current students. As a member of the Center’s IT Workforce Council, Luster appears virtually to speak to Loring Job Corps students to mentor them, talk about how to overcome challenges, encourage them to follow their dreams, discuss career path possibilities, and to tell them you can do this.
Loring Center Director Kristie Moir shared, “ This young woman made and continues to make a lifelong impact on our campus. Her drive, perseverance, attitude and heart displayed is a true testament of what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it. Loring Job Corps is so proud of Charity and so appreciative that she chooses to give back to the students of Loring Job Corps to help with their growth and success.”
