Ashley already knew her way around patient care. As a Certified Medical Assistant, she’d built a career helping people on some of their hardest days. But she wanted to go further, do more, and earn more, and that meant going back to school. She enrolled in the...
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...
When Royal Canin announced the permanent closure of its manufacturing facility in Rolla, Missouri, more than 100 people lost their jobs. Keith Smith was one of them. But rather than see the closure as an ending, Keith turned it into the starting point for an entirely...
When Stephanie Stapleton reached out to the Columbia Job Center, she was a single mother working a low-wage position at a gas station, trying to make ends meet. She was looking for a job that could truly provide for her family, and she had already made a plan to get...
Some partnerships show their impact in spreadsheets. Others show it in smiles that last for days. On Wednesday, July 1, Central Region Youth Specialist Paula Pogue joined a crew from Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation for a full day of service at Wonderland Camp,...
When DeAundre separated from the Marine Corps in 2023, he traded one kind of service for another. He came to a Central Region Job Center in January 2024, unemployed but clear about what he wanted next: a career built around helping people. That clarity led him to...
