September 2009 Corpsmember of the Month

Juan Sontay

Supervisor: Erica Lilly

Crew: Natural Resource Crew 3

Length of time at CCNB: 1 year and 3 months

Reason corpsmember was selected: Juan is always striving to do his best. He shows up early every morning and takes time to help other corpsmembers learn the tools. He has moved his way up to becoming the Assistant Crew Leader and takes college courses to learn better English.

Skills training received at CCNB: Sawyer 1, 2 and 3, Chipper, power tools, tool sharpening and maintenance.

Leadership roles at CCNB: He has worked in the shop for three months and first became the Safety Officer and is now the Assistant Crew Leader.

Favorite project: Cutting down trees, fire fuel reduction

Favorite educational component: Math and English

Favorite aspect of working at CCNB: Education. Working hard and learning new things.

Future plans: Stay in the United States and get his college degree.

What did Corpsmember do before joining CCNB? He studied Architecture in Guatamala.

Why did Corpsmember join CCNB? His cousin was in the program before.

How has CCNB changed your life? He has learned English and gained leadership skills.

Any advice for young people wanting to join CCNB? Work hard to achieve your dreams. Respect each other and have a good attitude.

What's the most important thing you've learned from this experience? I can achieve my dream by pushing myself to do better and improve everyday. Being different positively.