Donald Brooks is a skilled building trades professional and resident of West Philadelphia. Shortly after graduating from Project BUILD, a registered pre-apprenticeship program through YO-ACAP, Donald secured a job as an apprentice on the Penn First construction site in University City. However, when economic restrictions were put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, Donald found himself in the same position as thousands of other Philadelphia residents, laid off. Navigating unemployment was worrisome for Donald, but he never lost hope. He used his downtime to upskill and perfect his craft. By networking and staying active in his industry, when the Penn First construction site reopened, Donald was immediately called back to work. As everyone paves their own road to recovery, Donald encourages youth and young adults to, “keep your head up…just continue to hustle, and continue to keep working, continue to work harder than everybody around you.” Read the full story here (PDF).
Donald Brooks
