Testimonials from District 1

Sandra Hollmond

Hoke County

Hoke County High School 

Pre-Employment Transition Services Program

Sandra Hollmond has proven herself to be an exceptional student graduating from Hoke County High School and completing Pre-ETS (Pre-Employment Transition Services); Job Exploration, Workplace Readiness, Self-Advocacy, and Post -Secondary Training earning her a certificate her final semester at Hoke County High. Sandra has shown great dedication to her Pre-ETS course work, setting career and personal goals for herself. Sandra's career pathway is to become a child care worker with hopes of one day owning her very own daycare center. Sandra's educational goal is to attend Sandhills Community College after High school for early childhood education. She has already started the process of enrollment with her job coach. 

While in the Pre-ETS program Sandra became employed with First Health in Hoke County in the childcare department. Although she only works a couple of hours a week she was ecstatic that she was taking steps towards her future. She was very excited as she went through the interviewing and hiring process and used the skills that she had learned from Pre-ETS program to practice for her interview at First Health. Sandra told the Career Adviser that she is “determined” to reach her career goals. 

Sandra was the first to graduate from High School in her family, She shared with the Career Adviser that she “wants to make a difference in children’s lives”. Sandra has been a light to her classmates always ready to encourage and the first to raise her hand to practice workplace skills. Sandra has learned the art of turning lemons to lemonade. She would arrive to class early often just so that she could talk with the Career Advisors to ask questions when she didn’t know something. Sandra has proven herself to be a success way beyond the classroom. Sandra recently earned a Scholarship from her employer “First Health” to attend Sandhills Community College. Sandra is a real class act, she is determined and focused and has proven that when students work hard it pays off in a great way.

Dewantai Watts

Anson County

Anson High School 

Pre-Employment Transition Services Program

Dewantai Watts is a senior who attended Anson Senior High School. Throughout the past year, he struggled with maintaining his grades and attending online classes during the pandemic. After participating in the Pre-Employment Transition Service Program in the spring of 2021; he has identified a career path, improved his attendance and is exceeding his expectations academically. He identified and removed barriers that were leading him away from the path of success. Dewantai is currently working as a Volunteer Firefighter and is pursuing his dream of becoming a full-time employee at a local fire department.  His future plan is to attend South Piedmont Community College and obtain his Fire Fighting Training Certification. Dewantai stated he looks forward to achieving his goals he learned to set while participating in the Pre-Employment Transition Services Program. 

Bobby Sinclair

Hoke County

Hoke County High School 

Pre-Employment Transition Services Program

Bobby Sinclair began Pre-ETS (Pre-Employment Transition Services) program with employment and a Senior at Hoke County High School. He was and is currently a Sales Associate at Auto Zone in Hoke County. Bobby has a passion for working on cars. His career goal is to be a mechanic and one day own his own Auto Shop. Bobby has shown nothing less than a strong work ethic and dedication to his craft, completing Auto Mechanic 1 and 2 while at Hoke County High and maintain full time employment while enrolled in High School.

He would come to Pre-ETS sessions and go to work afterwards and whenever he could not finish his session work or skills he would make arrangements with Lead Career Advisor to complete his assignments on another day. Bobby's goal for Post-Secondary Training is to attend Sandhills Community College or Universal Technical Institute for Automotive Technician Training, He told the Career Advisor that it was a tough choice because they both have great mechanic programs. His family is a huge support for him, he told Career Adviser that he wants to make them very proud of him. 

Bobby was a big brother to many of his classmates proving himself to be a true leader, team player and builder. He would often share his work experience with his classmates and offer support to less confident classmates in practicing workplace skills.

He has proven himself time and time again in Pre-ETS group sessions that he is not only responsible but has a great sense of self-awareness of who he is and where he wants to be.