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Perseverence Pays Off for 95 IKRON Graduates

October 30, 2020

Twice a year, IKRON pauses to celebrate our participants who have found success. In 2020, our usual May graduation was cancelled, which meant we had a great deal to celebrate when October rolled around.

In order to graduate from IKRON, a participant must do one of three things: 1) Start a new job; 2) Obtain a GED or other high school diploma; or 3) Enroll in higher education.

On October 23, 2020, a great deal of hard work and determination paid off for 95 IKRON graduates, who celebrated new jobs and newfound confidence in reaching their goals. Even during a pandemic, graduates were able to find and maintain employment with places like Panera, Goodwill, Amazon, and dozens more. Other participants earned GEDs after weeks of studying hard.

IKRON graduates always take on the challenges in front of them with grit and tenacity, and no one more so than the 2020 graduates who saw jobs evaporate before their eyes and their goals put on hold when pandemic restrictions closed a lot of the places where they had hoped to work. Placement Coordinator Cheryl Krummen says of the heartbreak of early in the pandemic, "[Our participants] were so proud of themselves to have gotten this forward momentum, only to have that taken away through not fault of anyone--neither the employers nor themselves."

Still, these graduates stuck it out and were determined to make the most of the opportunities still open to them, and now we celebrate their success. For many IKRON graduates, this graduation day is their first one ever, and we're so honored to get to share in this experience with them.

Congratulation, IKRON graduates!