First it’s a trickle, and then a stream. Dismayed students flow out of the Job Corps campus in Riverton, Wyo., on the Wind River Reservation.
They came out to meet reporters, who weren't allowed on campus.
They cluster outside the front gates, off the property line — dozens of them between the ages of 16 to 24 hailing from every corner of Wyoming and as far away as Florida.
Their stories poured out.
“ I was homeless, basically,” Moses Shephard Jr. said.
“From a young age, I was around a lot of gang members,” Raul Diaz followed.
“I was in a deep depression state,” explained Kay Huven. “Home is basically a biohazard.”
“It was, you know, work fast food your whole life,” Benjimin Stark added. “Or you get this wonderful program.”
“And, yeah, escape the rez,” Jason Moss, who’s Northern Arapaho, tagged on.
They say they found hope and direction through Job Corps, a federal program that recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. Established during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” to help young people get careers, the program is free for students, including room and board — an alternative way to get a high school diploma while learning a trade.
Career tracks include truck driving, welding, construction and petroleum, which participants say is only offered in mineral-rich Wyoming. Henry Cardoza focused on carpentry.
“I saw Job Corps as the light,” the 20-year-old said.
But that light was recently dimmed as he got news that some Job Corps programs could be cut.
Athanasius “Thomas” Christofalos, clad in a cowboy hat and boots, is in the mechanic program and got the news working under a semi truck.
“My phone started ringing,” recalled Christofalos. “I'm like, ‘Who the heck is calling me? I went and answered the phone, and that's when the panic started setting in.”
Job Corps is being targeted by the Trump administration and some lawmakers. Students like Christofalos started cramming to finish their coursework as fast as possible. But others aren’t far enough along to get their diplomas and certificates any time soon.
“I'm like, ‘Okay, okay. Make a plan. What are we gonna do?’” Christofalos said.
The situation didn’t come out of nowhere. Job Corps was already showing signs of trouble in December of 2024 when then-President Joe Biden's team shut down two centers for financial reasons.
Now, President Donald Trump’s administration wants to say goodbye to almost 100 more centers, citing a $140 million dollar deficit and a national graduation rate of about 39% in the prior school year.
The National Job Corps Association, a trade group that represents all the Job Corps campuses, has challenged that number, saying they came from the tail end of the pandemic, as well as other claims.
“They just picked numbers to fit their needs,” said Jerri Prejean, an administrator at the Wind River Job Corps site, speaking about the figures that were released by the U.S. Department of Labor amid justifications for cuts.
Walking on the road outside Wyoming’s only Job Corps campus, which is only 10 years old, Prejean said the graduation rate there was about 74% over the last year for almost 200 students, and 86% of them left with jobs.
“ Every student that comes here that graduates is a success story,” said Prejean, who is doing everything she can to save the program. “They’re a success for making the decision to come to Job Corps.”
The National Job Corps Association has filed a lawsuit and that has prevented any shutdown for now. The next hearing is on June 17.
A spokesperson for the labor department told the Mountain West News Bureau, “We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law,” but the suit contends that only Congress can suspend Job Corps.
This could happen as members of Congress question whether to continue funding Job Corps, even though lawmakers in both parties have championed the program as a pathway to good trade jobs.
“You have chosen to take the road less traveled,” Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming) said, praising graduates in a video earlier this year.
She continued, “You’ve chosen a different path that has prepared you for high-paying jobs that are absolutely critical to your community.”
But Hageman’s support seems to have waned. In an email to the Mountain West News Bureau, she said that she wants to be a good steward for tax dollars while balancing the needs of Wyoming citizens. She pointed to the “massive deficit” that caused the Biden administration to also pause some operations.
“This bipartisan scrutiny is indicative of a larger issue that merits Congressional review,” Hageman said.
On the U.S. Senate side, Wyoming’s John Barrasso said all federally-funded programs deserve scrutiny.
“The Trump administration is right to audit the effectiveness of all taxpayer-funded programs – including Job Corps Centers,” Barrasso said via email. “While I do not believe this is the case in Wyoming, other Job Corps Centers across the country are no longer achieving the goals that students deserve.”
The uncertain future of the program leaves some Wyoming students making the most of their situations with their peers, who many consider family.
“I never really had a family back home, but over here, I created a big family for myself,” said Diaz.
The students held a luau this week, which they moved up because of the potential shutdown. It was a moment of joy with huge inflatable water slides and dunk tanks.
Several students shared videos of the event, including Huven, who told her friends wearing flower leis to “smile for the camera.”
“Can I get everyone to say Job Corps?” she said to a crowd before counting down.
“JOB CORPS!” they shout, with smiles on their faces
It’s unclear if this will be the Wyoming program’s last hurrah.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by CPB.
