Pictured left to right is WIOA Career Consultant Ika Grant and Roxana Walker. Submitted photo.

Roxana Walker of Kinston is an example of not allowing mistakes of your past to hamper the dreams of your future and her hard work has paid off.

She was recently recognized as one of two Outstanding Workforce Development Adult Award recipients at the Eastern Carolina Workforce Development Board, Inc. (ECWDB) Annual Recognition Banquet in New Bern.

The ECWDB administers Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act Program (WIOA), which is a federally funded program designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

Married with four children, she decided that she needed to find a new career after having to quit her job at a local restaurant. Walker said she wanted something rewarding and different.

“I love to drive and a truck driver will be a good fit,” she said. Her career assessments matched what she wanted to do.

Walker entered the NCWorks Career Center located at Lenoir Community College in May 2018 to inquire about WIOA retraining assistance. She wanted to enroll in the LCC Truck Driving program but didn’t have the funds to pay for it. 

Walker was also faced with a potential barrier from her past for this particular career pathway because she is an ex-offender and that could affect her ability to become employed as a truck driver. 

“As her Career Advisor, I needed to make sure Roxana would be successful and gainfully employed in this field,” Career Advisor Ika Grant said. “I encouraged her to network with local employers and submit pre-hire letters, which she did. These employers agreed to hire Roxana upon her receiving her CDL. They were willing to help her achieve her goal.”

She was enrolled in the LCC Truck Driving Program and in the WIOA Title I Adult Program. WIOA assisted her with tuition, fees, and gas reimbursement. “She had a passion for this field and went above and beyond,” Grant said. “In class, she was the first to grasp the material and master it. After she was checked off by the instructor, she would assist her classmates with achieving and mastering the materials as well.”

She completed the truck driving course on Oct. 11, 2018, and began working soon after with J&R Schugel Trucking, Inc. as an OTR Trainee/Driver. 

She went through four additional weeks of training before being released to drive alone. 

Walker said she received all her training in snow and ice and she felt pretty confident in her skill and training. In Dec. 2018, she was able to drive solo and is on her second truck. 

“I wanted two beds in my truck to ride my children and friends around with me,” she said.  She is now a Regional Driver and drives everywhere. She works about 70 hours a week and is paid by the mile plus benefits. She drives between 400-600 miles a day and everywhere she drives she said she is offered a job. 

“I enjoy the company, the pay is good, and I’m paid to recruit drivers too,” she said. Walker said she is up for her third truck. “This one will be a luxury truck.” 

Keeping it in the family, she said her husband is able to travel with her and is considering getting his CDL too.  

This career switch was life changing for Walker and her family. “I’m not sure where to begin since there wouldn’t be a beginning without WIOA,” she said. “I wouldn’t have a story to tell if it wasn’t for this program. I felt I was just an average circumstance with less than average chance to succeed due to a problem background.

“I was trying to rise above and become more than just a statistical number on a government assistance waiting list,” she said. “I came into LCC looking for a new start, new career, new outlook on life, and I found it with the truck driving course.”