From his first day at Ranken, Jake Aurelio caught the attention of his instructor John Davis for his self-assuredness and work ethic.

“Jake was a great student from his first day in the program,” Davis said. “He knew he wanted to be a carpenter and worked very hard to improve all of his carpentry skills.”

While enrolled in the Carpentry program, Aurelio took advantage of the annual SkillsUSA competition, where he won at the district and state level, and earned a spot in the national competition. In 2020, he did it again. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Aurelio was unable to participate in this year’s national competition.

Aurelio established himself as a leader during his time as a student, often stepping up for more tasks to do while working on Ranken Community Development Corporation (RCDC) homes. According to Aurelio, Ranken has deeply impacted his life, as it “gave me new opportunities in the workforce and my job, specifically,” he says. We are proud to say that Aurelio is a May 2020 graduate, with Magna honors. Jakc is employed as a carpenter by Pfund Construction Company.

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Learn more at https://ranken.edu/find-your-career-path/