Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Navy recruiter Troy Goddard with Thomas Nation at the Job Corps graduation ceremony.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - Job Corps graduate, Thomas Nation, is headed for deep water. Nation, 21, chose to go to Talking Leaves Job Corps to improve his chances of being accepted by the Navy. Now, that he has completed his Job Corps requirements, he is headed for the sea.

"I always knew what I wanted to do, I just didn’t know how to get there", said Nation.

He had applied to the Navy after completing his requirements to earn a GED, but the Navy recruiter said they could not accept him without some type of technical training and suggested that he enroll in a Job Corps program. He enrolled in the Medical Office Specialist program at Cherokee Nation Talking Leaves Job Corps in Tahlequah. Nation completed the curriculum required for medical office specialists in only four months and graduated with honors.

During his four months at Job Corps, he found ways to stay busy by being involved with the Student Government Association. He was elected Vice President of the Student Government Association after only a few weeks on the Job Corps campus and quickly earned the privilege to move into the dorm rooms for honor students.

He believes that his experiences at Talking Leaves Job Corps have prepared him for his new military lifestyle.

"I've had to get up early and clean my room. A lot of details here are a lot like the Navy, you’re pretty busy throughout the day,” Nation said.

With his Job Corps experience behind him and a new life in front of him, Nation will leave February 4, 2003 for basic training in Great Lakes, Illinois. After completing basic training, he plans to train to be an aviation electrical, electronic and computer systems technician.

"I wanted to be on an aircraft carrier, but at the same time, I wanted to be in the aviation field", Nation said. "I got everything I wanted. If it wasn’t for Job Corps, I’d be working at McDonald’s or something, now I can live my dream."