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Grad Howard Thornton
2010 GRAD HOWARD THORNTON
As far back as he can remember, Howard Thornton has been surrounded by automobiles.
“My father was a mechanic and my stepdad,” he said. “I pretty much grew into it.”
An August 2010 graduate of NCC’s Youth and Adult Automotive Training Center program, Thornton landed a job at Goodyear Brake-o-Rama in Elizabeth three months later. He does everything from engine replacements and transmission repairs to working on radiators and axles.
“There’s no job that can’t be done,” he said. “I’m always looking to get the job done. You just have to be motivated and be willing to learn and do the work.”
The Triumph of Hard Work and Dedication
Two years ago, when Ishmial Samad was about to go off to college, the staff at New Community’s Harmony House took up a collection to buy him some basic necessities and to pay for a bus ticket. Mr. Samad, who had been living at NCC’s transitional facility for homeless families with his mother and two sisters, was bound for Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Back in Newark now for the summer, Mr. Samad—who was an honors student in high school and has been doing well in college—will be entering his junior year in the fall. He is majoring in business and is interested in a career in banking or finance. His sister Naeemah, meanwhile, is a twelve-year-old honor student at the Oakwood Avenue School in Orange.
“I’m the first person in my family to go to college,” says Mr. Samad, who is also a talented athlete. His older brother dropped out of high school. His older sister had a child when she was young and did not pursue her education, although the family has high hopes for his sister Naeemah.
The family had ended up living at Harmony House after being evicted from their apartment because they were unable to pay the rent.
“We’re very, very proud of him,” says Harmony House Director Diane Young, who notes that Mr. Samad is among a handful of young people that have enrolled in college while living at the facility. Back when he was enrolling in college, Harmony House staff members made calls to college administrators to explain his financial situation and they waived hundreds of dollars in admission and registration fees.
Mr. Samad says he is “looking for a good summer job” so that he can save money to return to school in the fall.
He says he is proud to attend Johnson C. Smith, which is one of the nation’s most prominent historically African-American colleges. Reflecting on the odds faced by his friends, Mr. Samad notes that of his eight closest friends, “six of us made it out” and enrolled in college. “A lot of my friends are going to school but a lot dropped out of school or are on street corners selling drugs.”
As for what he would tell his peers, Mr. Samad says, “Finish high school, go to college and get a job. Don’t stay where you are because you might not make it out if it’s a bad area.”
New Community Mission
To help residents of inner cities improve the quality of their lives to reflect individual God-given dignity and personal achievement. Under One Roof
Two years ago, when Ishmial Samad was about to go off to college, the staff at New Community’s Harmony House took up a collection to buy him some basic necessities and to pay for a bus ticket. Mr. Samad, who had been living at NCC’s transitional facility for homeless families with his mother and two sisters, was bound for Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Back in Newark now for the summer, Mr. Samad—who was an honors student in high school and has been doing well in college—will be entering his junior year in the fall. He is majoring in business and is interested in a career in banking or finance. His sister Naeemah, meanwhile, is a twelve-year-old honor student at the Oakwood Avenue School in Orange.
“I’m the first person in my family to go to college,” says Mr. Samad, who is also a talented athlete. His older brother dropped out of high school. His older sister had a child when she was young and did not pursue her education, although the family has high hopes for his sister Naeemah.
The family had ended up living at Harmony House after being evicted from their apartment because they were unable to pay the rent.
“We’re very, very proud of him,” says Harmony House Director Diane Young, who notes that Mr. Samad is among a handful of young people that have enrolled in college while living at the facility. Back when he was enrolling in college, Harmony House staff members made calls to college administrators to explain his financial situation and they waived hundreds of dollars in admission and registration fees.
Mr. Samad says he is “looking for a good summer job” so that he can save money to return to school in the fall.
He says he is proud to attend Johnson C. Smith, which is one of the nation’s most prominent historically African-American colleges. Reflecting on the odds faced by his friends, Mr. Samad notes that of his eight closest friends, “six of us made it out” and enrolled in college. “A lot of my friends are going to school but a lot dropped out of school or are on street corners selling drugs.”
As for what he would tell his peers, Mr. Samad says, “Finish high school, go to college and get a job. Don’t stay where you are because you might not make it out if it’s a bad area.”
New Community Mission
To help residents of inner cities improve the quality of their lives to reflect individual God-given dignity and personal achievement. Under One Roof