“Entering a class room with a group of adults I’d never met before was very intimidating”; Those were the words Leon Peterson used to describe his first Winning Futures Session.
“I had no idea of what to expect, I knew it sounded cool but, I had no idea what I was getting into. I just knew I wanted to do my best.” Then I met my mentor, Charles Johnson from Kelly Services. Charles was definitely larger than life, he had a personality that took over the room and immediately eased my anxiety. From that point on no one could’ve prepared me for this journey.
Dring my senior year at Cass Technical High School I was fortunate enough to be in the inaugural Winning Futures class. Adding to that, I was also one of the first Winning Futures at Cass Tech Scholarship Winners. Despite the fact that I was in the business curriculum at Cass, I knew my work values and what I was passionate about, culinary arts.
I’m now finishing up my final semester at Schoolcraft College. My dedication to mastering the necessary skills is evident as I frequently display some amazing gourmet dishes on social media. Currently I’m working as a cook at the Detroit Athletic Club where my goal is to learn as much as possible to grow professionally.
My Winning Futures mentor and I have developed an amazing relationship over the last three years. In fact, Charles helped me find employment the summer after graduation. Mr. Charles said the drive and determination were always there for me, all that was needed was a program like Winning Futures to fuel it.
Some final words of advice to current and future Winning Futures students, this is a special opportunity, take advantage of it. There are students who will never have someone encourage them, believe in them or help them be successful. Mr. Charles helped me out in so many ways, he wasn’t just a mentor he was friend! I’m grateful to Winning Futures for so much!