On a pleasant late summer afternoon, I meet 19-year-old Esmerelda Herrera. We settle on a bench across from the Olive Kettering Library on the campus of Antioch College.
“Is it easy to make friends here?" I asked, to which she replied: "I see that people make friends fast. I’m more of a 'you approach me and I’ll see if you like how I am, and if I like how you are.'"
She then shared what she believes is a "truth" that motivated her to travel alone from Phoenix, Ariz., to Yellow Springs, Ohio, in July.
"By you going to college, you're already changing the course of your bloodline. For the better," the young woman confidently stated.
Esmerelda’s bloodline includes her little sister, Anie, who still lives in Phoenix with their mother, stepfather and their dog, Peanut. While she admits to being shy, this freshman is determined to succeed.
"If I keep up with my work, with my assignments, and I attend class every day, this should be very easy," Herrera exclaimed. "I don't procrastinate as much here because it all depends on me."
This summer in Phoenix, she was studying to become a medical assistant through the government program Job Corps. In June, that ended when the U.S. Department of Labor shut down programs in Phoenix and several of its 99 locations nationwide. Dayton’s site did not close.
According to a post on its website, the agency justifies the move by citing low graduation rates, high average costs per student and other concerns. It also stated the decision aligned with the Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal.
"I was very nervous and disappointed because how can they pull the rug out from under us," Herrera said. "We come from so many different backgrounds. The one thing we have in common is we want to change our future for the better. We want to break the cycle of job to job, house to house."
This free vocational training program helps people ages 16 to 24 gain skills for in-demand careers and become independent. It also pays students a stipend and provides housing.
Since 1964, the programs has helped an estimated 50,000 low-income youth nationwide. Ohio has three Job Corps centers: in Dayton, Cincinnati and in Cleveland. Combined they have served more than 700 students since opening.
In June, Herrera and 10 other Job Corps participants accepted scholarships from Antioch. The school flew them in, set them up in a dorm and with campus jobs where they’re paid through the Federal College Work Program. In addition, they have access to co-op opportunities.
Antioch College President Jane Fernandes said the school has a long relationship with several Job Corps locations including in Phoenix —recruiting students who want to attend college. However, when the federal funding was eliminated, Fernandes said she and her board fast-tracked this latest group.
"They're really amazing people because they've been through real hardship. And they've had goals that they could never achieve because of the circumstances of their lives," explained Fernandes. "They will do anything we ask to the best of their ability. They're excited to learn and mostly will do anything to help better themselves."
In July, a federal court order mandated all 99 Job Corps centers must remain open. However, their future is in flux amid governmental priority shifts. Fernandes is optimistic Job Corps will continue and believes their students are a good fit for Antioch.
"Job Corps is really giving the students a skilled trade," said Fernandes. "We're really giving students more of a furthering of their education beyond a trade to be more holistically educated."
I walk with Esmerelda as she heads to her next class, Dialogue Across Differences. She’s considering other career options in the medical field. I ask her thoughts about going to school and living in southwest Ohio. Esmerelda adjusts her round-framed glasses and flashes a bright smile.
"I love the green. Coming from Phoenix where it’s just desert and concrete. Having lawns, trees, leaves, it’s very nice," she said.
