When Keeoctea Hightower walked into the Columbia Job Center on October 9, 2025, she was looking for two things: employment guidance and help with her resume. As a veteran, she had a strong foundation of skills built during her military service. She needed a clear path to put them to work.
Keeoctea enrolled in Wagner-Peyser and the Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) program on October 15, 2025. During her intake interview, her specialist assessed her skills and career interests and worked with her to build an Individual Employment Plan (IEP) with short- and long-term goals, along with concrete objectives for reaching them. Based on that evaluation, she received several job recommendations aligned with her experience and the strengths she developed in the military.
From there, the support was hands-on. Keeoctea learned about everything the Job Center offered, reviewed current labor market data in her fields of interest using O*Net and MERIC, and received dates for upcoming job fairs. Her specialist provided career assessment, targeted job referrals, resume development and revisions, and job-matching assistance.
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Keeoctea stayed engaged. Through multiple follow-ups, she remained active in the JVSG program and attended job fairs hosted by the Job Center at the Daniel Boone Regional Library. Along the way, she made an important decision: she wanted to change the field she was pursuing. Rather than treat that as a setback, she and her specialist updated her IEP together and reviewed fresh labor market data for her new direction, again using O*Net and MERIC.
That willingness to adjust paid off. On May 4, 2026, Keeoctea accepted full-time employment as a Housekeeper with the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital. The role draws on her organizational strengths, attention to detail, and customer-service skills, and it opens a clear path toward advancement within the VA hospital system.
Through Wagner-Peyser and JVSG services and ongoing support from the Columbia Job Center, Keeoctea moved into a stable, long-term career opportunity. Her story is a reminder of what’s possible when veterans stay engaged with workforce services and put the professional tools they’re given to work.
Way to go, Keeoctea!
Are you a veteran looking for employment guidance, resume help, or a clear path to your next opportunity? The Central Region Job Center offers services designed specifically for veterans. To learn more, visit cwdregion.com/vetservices.