{"id":966,"date":"2021-04-19T17:47:16","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T17:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=966"},"modified":"2021-04-19T17:47:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T17:47:41","slug":"the-school-that-dreams-are-made-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/19\/the-school-that-dreams-are-made-of\/","title":{"rendered":"The School That Dreams Are Made Of"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-966 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/19\/the-school-that-dreams-are-made-of\/ttec\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec-45x45.jpg 45w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/19\/the-school-that-dreams-are-made-of\/ttec2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec2-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec2-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec2-45x45.jpg 45w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/19\/the-school-that-dreams-are-made-of\/ttec3\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec3-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec3-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ttec3-45x45.jpg 45w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>By Asia Nail<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Sojourner\u2019s Truth Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve been looking for a job lately, you know how competitive the job market it is. What if you do not have the specific skills employers are looking for? What if your new job barely makes ends meet?<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if you are ready for a career change?<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a single mom and educator was unhappy with options for her at-risk community, she started her own school. Learn what she did and how you can partner with her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stephanie Boutt\u00e9, president of Ternion Training and Education Center, is currently enrolling students interested in obtaining marketable skills.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TTEC is a faith-based vocational training center that partners with ministries and business leaders across the nation to help make a bigger difference in urban communities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Stephanie Boutt\u00e9 found herself pregnant at 17 she realized fast that there weren\u2019t many resources in her community that catered to determined mothers in her situation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cGoing to college with a baby was one of the most difficult things I\u2019ve ever experienced. I grew up in a poverty-strickened town and I knew if I did not get higher education I would never break this cycle of poverty within my own life,\u201d says Boutt\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Toledo vocational training center prides itself on helping students gain skills without taking on college loans. The main goal is to provide excellent training resulting in gainful employment and self-sufficiency &#8212;\u00a0 absolutely debt free. In due course, Boutte expects the school to have about 1,200 to 1,300 students enrolled for programs ranging from computer applications to medical assistant, HVAC and fiber technician.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TTEC is one of only two sites in the area that offers the Pearson testing center and the only center opened on the weekends. Boutt\u00e9 takes particular pride in the fact that such accessibility is available to those in the teaching business.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEvery single person that comes through our doors has a situation that is unique and different. I cater to each student individually to increase their success. Each of our students have a goal and we make it our mission to ensure they reach it without going into debt,\u201d explains<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the president.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boutt\u00e9\u00a0owned her own vocational training school for over 20 years providing career training and community development programs throughout the Houston, Texas market.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cComing from a generation of poverty, I knew we were poor.\u00a0 No one else knew we were poor,\u201d she say. \u201cWhen I got pregnant, I decided to attend vocational training school.\u00a0 At the time the minimum wage was $3.25. After graduation I got a job making $8.25 an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This educational experience helped Boutt\u00e9 to become self-sufficient in her life at a time when many single mothers would have had to depend on supplemental government assistance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After earning her bachelor\u2019s of business administration, she worked in the corporate arena. \u201cWorking exposed me to different types of people with new ideas and I gained an appreciation for new experience,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Determined to make a difference in underserved areas, and to provide opportunities for exposure to others, she returned to the vocational school arena to acquire employment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI wanted to give back to the type of community I, myself came from. Unfortunately, I found most schools no longer catered to women like myself. It had become all about the money. That truly broke my heart,\u201d shares Boutt\u00e9<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still determined, she found a position at a local vocational school. With her get-it-done attitude and her love for her students, she evolved her position to program coordinator.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a special emphasis on valuing diversity, she kept students engaged as they learned new methods tailored specifically to each classroom.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ll never forget, my first classroom had 35 Black and Hispanic female students excited to learn. Unfortunately, I was given no books, supplies, or curriculum for the class amongst many other hurdles. Still, I rose to the occasion. After a couple of years, I felt led to start my own school,\u201d shares Boutt\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A local real estate developer in Texas heard about all the great things she was doing in educational training and made a donation. Smiling she recalls:<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe built an entire school and gave it to me, no strings attached. It was a beautiful blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not only did this developer pay for the school, he also furnished it, paid for the Internet, telephone, cable, electricity \u2014 everything.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the school progressed and she began working on new programs, she was introduced to Len Hopkins, Founder of Ternion International. Ternion Group International is a Christian Faith based company.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They found common ground on the firm belief that good training mixed with \u201cpaying it forward\u201d is the foundation of achieving personal success.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPaying it forward\u201d is when someone does something for you, but instead of paying that person back directly, you pass it on to another person instead.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe had a business meeting. Len showed me his vision, and I showed him mine. They were almost identical,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ternion reached out to Boutt\u00e9 shortly thereafter, excited to duplicate her program with aspirations to open up 440 locations across the U.S.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI became the president of TTEC because they were able to help me expand what I\u2019d been doing successfully for the past 22 years on a national level. My dream school expansion has come true,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TTEC\u2019s innovative ways of teaching aim to put students into a good mood, so that they are more likely to retain information. She fondly states, \u201cWe always make a point of creating personal relationships with our students and their families. What sets our school apart is the love we freely give and our open-door policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After doing research, she found that Ohio had one of the highest unemployment rates for African Americans and disadvantaged communities in the U.S.\u00a0 Excitedly, Boutt\u00e9 explains, \u201cI\u2019d like to incentivize more companies to come to Toledo. We train the workforce. I believe if the State of Ohio petitions more out of state companies considering relocation, job growth could consistently increase. I\u2019ve seen many instances where Texas has petitioned California for their businesses. Tesla considering a headquarters move to Austin is an example.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TTEC recently received a letter from the LeBron James foundation. \u201cI anticipate us sharing a tenacity for new learning methods,\u201d she shares. \u201cMy dream is to also offer programs that teach students to be entrepreneurs capable of creating companies here in Toledo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The community is fully embracing TTEC in Toledo. Several churches in the area donate tools and supplies to the school regularly. Ternion continues to develop strategic partnerships with community-based organizations to better prepare students. Bishop Duane Tisdale from Friendship Baptist Church facilitates the school&#8217;s innovative life classes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen our students obtain employment we strive for them to make substantially more money than they have in the past. With this in mind we also teach life skills.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to see our graduates prioritizing designer clothing or $200 sneakers over core money management. Instead we want them to be able to understand how stock prices change based on world events like the pandemic. We teach life skills through our curriculum, including money\/credit management.\u00a0 We also teach the value of owning property. We do a little bit of everything,\u201d\u00a0 President Boutt\u00e9 proudly explains.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TTEC encourages the hospitals, doctors\u2019 offices, and companies they work with to help make their students great employees by gaining hands on experience through externships and mentoring. She says: \u201cUpon graduation, our experience has consistently been that our partners eagerly want to hire and refer our students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TTEC\u00a0 is enrolling now in the following programs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fiber Optics Technician<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medical Assistant<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computerized Accounting Specialist<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Network and Computer Systems Administrator<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computerized Accounting Specialist<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phlebotomy<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Computerized Office Administration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>LOCATION<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5212 Hill Ave Toledo, Ohio 43615<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">419-214-1333<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ternionschools.com\/\">www.ternionschools.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>General Class Schedule \/ Calendar<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday thru Thursday<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday thru Thursday<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday thru Thursday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Asia Nail Sojourner\u2019s Truth Reporter If you\u2019ve been looking for a job lately, you know how competitive the job market it is. What if you do not have the specific skills employers are looking for? What if your new job barely makes ends meet? What if you are ready for a career change? When [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,18],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[12],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=966"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":971,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions\/971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=966"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}