YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – “I did this for my kids,” Anaysia Johnson told those in attendance at Flying High’s Professional Development Center graduation ceremony as she wiped away tears.
When she graduated high school in 2013, Johnson said she hated school and never saw herself pursuing additional training. But when she turned 30 years old in June, she decided she wanted to make a difference.
“Not just for myself, but for my kids,” Johnson said, adding that she had amazing teachers and peer support at Flying High, and she never failed a test or an assignment. After the ceremony, her three kids proudly got a photo taken with mom.
Johnson was among the graduates of Flying High’s vocational training programs who celebrated their achievements and their latest step in their journey Thursday at the organization’s downtown office.
Johnson earned her certified nurse’s assistant certificate, along with 15 others this summer and fall. Other graduates earned welding credentials. Some obtained the Ohio Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant certification.
Heidi Smith, who graduated from the CDCA program in August, said she has now become a licensed chemical dependency counselor. Within days of signing up for the Flying High CDCA course, she was laid off from her job of six years. That hurdle gave her the chance to pursue her new passion full time, including doing her internship at Flying High.
Her recommendations for the graduating class as they move into their new careers and opportunity: stay ready and prepared for opportunities; solve problems for your employer; and show up.
Nearly every person graduating had a story of persistence, as did the keynote speaker, Lola Simmons, executive director of Home for Good, a re-entry resource center that works to address the barriers people face after involvement with the justice system.
Simmons told the graduates her career started out much differently. She worked for 27 years at a local steel company before it went bankrupt in 2001. With two children soon to be in college, a mortgage and three car payments, she had to move forward.
“During my journey … there were several times in my life I had to pause, reset and let God take the wheel,” Simmons said. “Breathe, Lolo, just breathe.”
She went back to Kent State to study criminal justice and political science in preparation for law school in Akron, but that plan got derailed shortly after she received her bachelor’s degree. Her husband, a minister, received several medical diagnoses that required her to be with him as his caregiver, not commuting to Akron.
Again, she needed to pause, reset and change direction.
After getting rejected as overqualified or otherwise not the right person for a number of jobs, Simmons said she became a full-time caregiver for more than a year before she finally went to a temp agency for help finding work. They sent her to work part time at the only drop-in homeless shelter in Mahoning County at that time, where they worked to find resources such as a hot meal, housing, employment and transportation.
“It tapped into my need to help others,” Simmons said. “It afforded me an experience of engaging with individuals from all walks of life to assist and positively impact their lives in ways that perhaps they could have never imagined. This is where I left corporate America in my rearview mirror and began my journey of working with those who were less fortunate.”
She eventually would become the program director, finding her passion of helping those who were defenseless. And when that shelter closed, Simmons overcame an aggressive form of breast cancer.
Simmons then transitioned to her current role of helping people before and after serving time in prison. When Home for Good was established in 2013, she was the re-entry coordinator.
“Yes, it’s been a journey to get where I am today, but I found that the pauses and resets that I had in my life worked in a positive way for me,” Simmons said. “There is so much we can do together. To date, our organization has served over 3,000 individuals, and I can freely say that I give all thanks to God.”
During the ceremony, Simmons received the Eagle Award, which honors those who have made extraordinary efforts to provide opportunities for people to make their lives better and help community members work together.
Helping people improve their lives in a variety of ways, Simmons’ mission has often crossed paths with that of Jeff Magada, founder of Flying High and the Professional Development Center.
Magada has been able to secure more than $19 million in federal and state grants for programs in the Mahoning Valley through the years, according to his wife, Donna.
Flying High’s programs continue to grow and expand. With locations currently in Youngstown and Warren, Olivia Cooke-Murphy, marketing and development manager, announced at Thursday’s ceremony that a third Professional Development Center location will open in Salem later this winter.
The centers are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for those needing vocational training, job assistance and overcoming employment barriers. Orientation for new programs will be held in December and January.
Besides jobs training, Flying High is involved in lawn care programs, mobile markets, Grow Urban Farm and long-term sobriety treatment services and housing.
Flying High is celebrating 30 years of making a difference in the Mahoning Valley, with a gala event planned for May 8.
Pictured at top: Anaysia Johnson speaks during Thursday’s graduation ceremony. Behind her, from left, are Lola Simmons, executive director of Home for Good; Jeff Magada, founder of Flying High; and his wife, Donna, the school’s academic/admissions coordinator.