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Cherokee Nation Talking Leaves Job Corps student Desi Custer, one of 155 pupils graduating from TLJC on Friday.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - On Friday, Desi Custer will be one of 155 students graduating from Cherokee Nation Talking Leaves Jobs Corps in Tahlequah, ready to enter the workforce or college. For Custer, the graduation ceremonies will the culmination of years of hard work and a symbol that her dream of attending college has become a reality.

Custer, 22 of Del City, Oklahoma, will be graduating from the Cherokee Nation Talking Leaves Job Corps (TLJC) this Friday with certificates in Culinary Arts and Business and Office Technology. But that’s not all. Custer has won scholarships through her experiences at Job Corps to continue her education at the college level.

"I was kind of stuck in this job as a day care teacher and it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life, and I couldn’t afford college, so I came to Job Corps", Custer said.

The decision turned out to be a very rewarding experience for her, both academically and financially. Custer has competed on the TLJC academic team for the last three years. The academic team competes annually at the Dallas Region Job Corps Academic Olympics. Custer won scholarships two years in a row for her outstanding performance in Math and English. This past year, she accompanied the team as a student coach, where she was awarded the title of Outstanding Olympian of All Time For The Dallas Region. Cherokee Nation Talking Leaves Job Corps students have won a total of $8500 in scholarships at this competition over the last twelve years.

"If we had 250 Desis we’d all be out of a job", said Sueann Freeman, Education Supervisor for Talking Leaves. "She is very mature and focused. Having Desi around is like having another staff member."

Custer has already put her scholarships to use by taking advantage of the Job Corps dual enrollment policy. Under this policy, students are able to enroll in Job Corps for a third year, if they are also enrolled at Northeastern State University. Without enrolling in college, students must complete Job Corps requirements in two years. Custer is taking classes at NSU where she is pursuing Bachelor degrees in both Mathematics and Computer Science.

New classes began at Talking Leaves Job Corps every Tuesday. The areas of certification offered are: Business and Technology, Culinary Arts, Electrical Wiring, Facilities Maintenance, Health Occupations, and Material Handling.

Commencement exercises for this graduating class are scheduled for February 8, 2002 at 2:00 p.m. at the Talking Leaves Gymnasium located at 5700 Bald Hill Road in Tahlequah.