A Philanthropic Soul

Trivonnia started the welding program at JARC Baltimore within the last year and just recently graduated. Our clients come from such diverse backgrounds. Trivonnia told us, “I'm from Baltimore. I currently live with my brother. And before that lived with my aunt…I had more of a background in healthcare. I was helping patients with dementia… I was a caretaker and I was working in the healthcare industry serving the elderly.”

Trivonnia has a philanthropic soul with a passion for making a difference in her community. She was connected to JARC through another local nonprofit, Strength to Love. “I was just trying to figure out where exactly I was gonna fit because I was going from different jobs and trying to learn new things, but nothing really was sticking. So once I got into the welding, it was just something that was really fascinating for me.

Trivonnia told us, “After high school, I actually went into college... But nothing really resonated with me while I was there. And so then I had started looking into trades, I came across welding and there was just something different about it, like the fact that they're using fire and heavy metals and things like that. I was like, this is not something that a lot of women would do, be in this industry. I would help bring a lot of diversity. And I could learn a whole lot of stuff like things you just would never expect to know. And it ended up being that way.”

She was so intrigued by the welding program at JARC! “The flames they're coming like right at you like it's real it was scary at first to see I'm like ‘I got to backup because I don't want to get burned’.” Although she was stepping into a new world she was excited to improve her math skills and to learn new technical skills. “It was a lot of fun. I don't know it was just, different… like when you first see some of the metals and you use the tools. Seeing it melt away. It looks like really weird.”

Trivonnia just began her new position as a welder 1 at Clark Machines! She told us some of her favorite aspects of the training program. “I liked working with the tools, learning something new and being hands on with it. And then also being there you learn different stories about different people with different walks of life. So it's just a very interesting experience all together. Like one day the mayor came and I was like, wow, you just never expect to see certain people.”

Trivonnia is looking forward to creating a financially stable future for herself. While she is working as a welder she will be also working at the casino so she can save money and really work on her financial goals. Trivonnia’s compassion for others is so apparent, in addition to working her two jobs she plans on giving back to her community by volunteering at a local theatre company.