Juan Cook Sr. is using federal retraining funds, due to a layoff, to pursue an associate degree in human development and family studies. When he graduates, Cook will be the first in his family to earn a college degree.

As he prepares for a new career in drug and alcohol counseling and case management, Juan is also working part-time as a clinical technician for a health care company, where he presents lectures to patients, monitors patient behavior, and conducts 12-step groups.

Juan finds that “you get out of the courses the commitment you put into the readings and assignments. The knowledge I’m learning is helping me at work, and it’s given me more self-confidence in my personal life.”