When Jamie Perry lost his uncle the third week of class, he nearly quit. Grief threatened to pull him away from the HVAC training program. But Perry kept showing up, determined to be a role model for his 4-year-old daughter.
Onstage at his graduation after the eight-week program, Perry challenged his classmates to carry forward that same resilience.
“Whatever it is that we’re all going through in life, whatever it is that we have to sacrifice to get to this point, make it count, make it well worth it,” Perry told the audience.
Perry’s growth and sense of purpose reflect the journey of the 14 other graduates of a Dallas College training program who were honored Wednesday by its supporters — including the Lennar Foundation, South Dallas Workforce Training Coalition, and Cornerstone Career Center — at the college’s Bill J. Priest Center. Each student overcame their own obstacles through a program designed to transform lives, not just with technical skills and a path to a living wage job, but also mentorship, career support, and a sense of belonging.
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Dallas College construction and HVAC student Jamie Perry speaks to his class during the Lennar Foundation and Cornerstone Career Center Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 in Dallas.
Angela Piazza / Staff Photographer
Only 32% of Dallas County’s young adults ages 25 to 34 earned an annual living wage of $60,651 in 2023, according to the Commit Partnership. (Commit supports the Future of North Texas initiative at The Dallas Morning News.)
The program is the result of layered partnerships among Dallas College, workforce coalitions and private industry. Patricia Webb, associate deputy chief of workforce and continuing education at Dallas College, described a collaborative effort that began in 2018 with the Regional Black Contractors Association at the college’s Cedar Valley campus.
The Lennar Foundation is the charitable arm of Lennar Corporation, one of the nation’s largest builders. The South Dallas Workforce Training Coalition and the Cornerstone Career Center nonprofits offer short-term training in trade skills, such as HVAC and electrical, among other initiatives.
Dallas College sought to provide accredited National Center for Construction Education and Research construction certifications to people, including those from “second chance” or low-income backgrounds, to equip them with skills recognized in the industry nationwide, Webb said. As the initiative grew, industry partners such as the Lennar Foundation joined to fund and shape the curriculum.
Rev. Andrā Johnson, Cornerstone Career Center executive director, peers around a door and reminds graduating students to remain in order for a procession during the Lennar Foundation and Cornerstone Career Center Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 in Dallas.
Angela Piazza / Staff Photographer
Lennar provided financing, while other groups, including the South Dallas Workforce Training Coalition and Cornerstone Baptist Church, brought in student recruitment, mentorship, and community outreach. Cornerstone was brought to the program by the training coalition and also contributes funding, Webb said.
Today, the program has an 85% to 90% student completion rate, she said.
Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert told the graduates during his speech that the certifications will give graduates a leg up in participating in North Texas’ construction boom.
“We want this to be the foundation of creating a career,” Leppert said. “A career that you build on. You create wealth for yourself and importantly, not only for you and your family today, but for generations to come.”
Perry learned about the program while seeking a promotion at his automation job at Walmart. He said the certification prepared him to pursue becoming a licensed contractor and business owner. He also hopes it motivates his daughter, who watched him cross the graduation stage.
Among the graduates, Tyler Seder reflected on his personal and spiritual growth, thanking mentors for helping him reconnect to his faith amid his journey to becoming an HVAC business owner. Brendetta McDonald credited the staff and instructors for guiding her toward project management goals in the construction industry.
Speaker Alexa Garza, program director of the Texas Center for Higher Education in Prison, shared her own path from incarceration to academic achievement. She encouraged the graduates to leverage their hard-won skills to “bring others to the table” and drive community progress.
“You don’t need to ask for permission to be great. You already are,” Garza told them.
The graduation ended with photos and applause, but the story didn’t stop at awards. Alumni Leslie Clayborn Jr., who learned about the program through church, returned to support the next cohort. Now employed installing data cable for Network Cabling Services, Clayborn credits the program with teaching him a trade and instilling hope, accountability, and a sense of purpose.
For Perry and his classmates, the certificates represent much more than technical achievement.
“The fact that we’re here shows that God was in our lives…that we could push past all of our tribulations,” Perry said, eliciting applause.
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.