The Stride Center

I am so thankful to have been apart of this great organization and to have around so many wonderful people who really care about the fellow man and woman. If any organization is deserving of praise it is this one because they have succeed time and time again at giving hope to the hopeless. My story is not really any different from all the others who have has the opportunity to meet the lovely staff and owner of this organization, but I can say that I have never met any person/persons that sacrifice so much for the empowerment of others. I thank you The Stride Center for its many sacrifices to help me better myself and show my fellowman the same.

My favorite story about a Stride graduate is about "Brian." Only 20 when he found Stride, Brian had really struggled in his short life. Always different, Brian was bullied and harassed in school to the extent that he attended a continuation High School, which he ultimately dropped out of. Instead, Brian earned his GED right after dropping out, and then he languished. In fact, he rarely left home. After years of this and at her wits end, his mother suggested Brian look into The Stride Center. He was very good with computers -- one of the few things that really excited him. With no shortage of anxiety, Brian took the leap and enrolled at Stride. He proved to be an excellent student and was quickly noticed by his instructors and the Stride team. Before graduating from his first class, Brian was offered a job at Stride's social enterprise call center, where he became the most productive and highest achieving agent on the team. Not surprisingly, Brian very quickly was offered a position at UCSF as a desktop technician... where he thrived. After one year there, three different UCSF departments offered Brian a full-time permanent job because he had earned the reputation of being smart, effective and very good with clients. Today, Brian is earning nearly $70K/year, is only considered "different" in positive ways and he's gone from home-bound to saving to become a home-owner. Great job Brian! Great job Stride!

The stride center was a gift. A blessing for me. I was going through a hard time and it helped me gain self confidence and helped me feel like I can accomplish even difficult material. The staff and students were extremely supportive and went above and beyond the call of duty to help me better myself. Great experience! Thank you Stride.

I came to the Stride Center after dropping out of college, moving back in with my Mom, and working retail and customer service.

I would not say I was desperate but was driven to succeed where I had failed so many times before.

After taking the CompTIA A+ course and passing the certification exams, the employment office helped me get an interview with Contra Costa County Health Services. I then got myself the job as a student worker, working on the phone and field teams. I was able to practice and hone all the skills I had learned in class on real hardware at an enterprise-level of scale.

During my tenure at County, I was instructed to take another course to keep my job. I took Network+, through the Stride Center. It was at my CompTIA Network+ course that I fell in love with the idea of networking and became passionate enough to go for the six-month Saturday-only CCNA Routing and Switching course.

My scholarship did not cover the CCNA course. So I went to Eastbay Works to figure out how to go through the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act to get the government to pay for this advanced course. They did, and not only that. I also received Unemployment while in the class.

Now you might think that one class a week while getting paid for it is almost like charity. Don't get me wrong, I am so, so grateful for the opportunity. But the class was very intense, and I felt I needed all week to study two college sized chapters a week.

So having taken the course and passed the certification exams, I am now a CCNA. This kind of cert leads to jobs such as Network Administration or Network Engineer. And these positions can be paid as much as $85k/year.

This is why I joined the Stride Center; this is what they do. They help us pull ourselves out of poverty, out of our Moms' houses and into the world where, through our hard work, we become citizens, real people, a force for good in our lives.

There are not enough words to describe all that the Stride Center does and has done for me. There is not a way I could ever pay back entirely what they have put into me. They tell me, one of the best ways to give back is to be an example. So that's what I'm trying to do.

Thank you.

My name is Ephrem Battisa ; OMG I don't have a word to say thankyou! Stridecenter help me and a lot of my friends in order to get skills on IT . So that we can compete at the job market.
Thank you all Stride Staff members and instructors. All of them are so intellegent and polite. Keep it up!
Ephrem Battisa

My name is Lester Ellis and I have had the pleasure of working closely with the Stride Center's Executive Director, Barrie Hathaway, in my capacity as founder of the Strive for Change Foundation. I know Barrie to be one of the most committed non-profit directors I have had the privilege to meet and work with. The Board of Directors of Strive for Change makes grants to non-profit training programs for low income and unemployed men and women in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Each program undergoes an extensive evaluation before a grant is awarded. The Stride Center has passed our scrutiny every year since we first made contact and has won larger and larger grants. We admire Barrie's hard work and the commitment of the hard working people who enter the program and graduate with skills that will enable them to earn a living wage for themselves and their families.

The Stride Center is helping adults who have barriers to employment and economic stability. There is no social program in this country that is as important as a good job that pays well, that gives someone an opportunity to go to work, have some security, have benefits, and take care of their family and have a good life. This is what The Stride Center is all about.

My name is Dennis Rojas and I am the Career Center Coordinator for the San Pablo America Job Center. We work closely with the Stride Center to ensure that individuals in our community are provided the training they need to be self-sufficient. The Stride Center provides this training. In addition, the Stride Center also gives back. We hosted a Career Fair at Contra Costa Community College, and the stride center provided us with a laptop and printer as raffle prize for the job seekers.

The Stride Center is filled with people who care about their students. At Stride they offer industry recognized certificates in ICT. The Stride Center will help you transform your life.

The Stride Center truly helps lift people out of what they believed their destiny to be and moves them into a life of hope and possibility. The technical training paired with the soft skills learning turns out a knowledgeable, engaged employee that any company would be proud to have on their team.

Stride Center is a place for second chances and new beginnings.

Stride Center is an excellent organization. They are truly passionate about helping the under served develop opportunities to live a self-sustaining lifestyle. They truly care .

The Stride Center is passionate about their mission.

Incredible impact on low income and underserved communities. They really do get people jobs and help to secure a future in IT.

My experience at stride center has been great i've been learning a lot and the instructor Mr. Trudeau is a great instructor. He knows the material in the book. I recommend this to people that are looking for IT training for a good reasonable price.

I have made at least a half dozen referrals to Stride for students in need of vocational training. I am familiar with many other training programs and each one has it's own nitch.

The Stride Center is a fantastic organization! As a partner, we work together with them to provide professional clothing, mock interviews and career development support to their students and are continually impressed with the quality of their training, the students and the change they inspire. Our corporate partners are always impressed after they interview the students. The staff is impressive and supportive of all of their students.

As a supporter, I see first hand how The Stride Center helps people change their lives! It's more than just a training program or nonprofit - The Stride Center helps people with all aspects of their life, not just training or jobs. It teaches life skills, helps develop support networks for students and creates networking opportunities for professional development. And the students work so hard to achieve their goals here, it is a life-changing organization, no doubt.

Street Tech was a godsend! I had gone to school to learn computer repair and networking but I couldn't find a job willing to let me flex my newly acquired skills. I would often look at job postings on the internet. Many of them were seeking potential candidates with A+ Certification. Researching the cost of getting the certification cast a doubtful outlook on my future. The price of testing is VERY expensive. I cast my plans to the side and let life take over. Life took over, indeed. Unemployed and disgruntled, I soon began walking the streets going door-to-door trying to advertise and repair for residential customers. Still trying to figure out how to get some credentials under my belt. As fate would have it, I ended up advertising to someone who referred me to an old classmate of Director Joe McKinley. This classmate told me that Joe might help me get into the market. No truer words had been spoken. Soon, I was signing up for Street Tech's A+ Certification class. Street Tech has a very clean facility. Professional staff, an obviously VERY affordable program for people who need a second chance and a formidable success rate. It's no wonder they've made it this far. I can come in and use resources at reasonable times and get a pep talk from the staff almost anytime. As far as weaknesses, Street Tech is hindered by a lack of updated resources, no access to the latest OSes like Vista, Red Hat Linux, Server 2003, etc. Many machines are kindly donated but they are not the latest as the market changes rapidly. Licensed software is also difficult and expensive to acquire. Our last class had to dig in and split the cost of valuable testing software that was needed. The cost of human resources has also taken a small toll on poor Street Tech. Although very efficient, very punctual, very professional and very knowledgeable, the staff at Street Tech cannot live on bread alone. It has been evidenced by several of my colleagues who stayed to take classes beyond our A+ certification that the quality of the teaching staff had been significantly reduced due to budget constraints. Many of my colleagues, like myself, are from all parts of the community. We are disadvantaged, low income, pregnant, on parole, and hungry. We are always looking for hope. We are looking for that brief glimpse of sunlight on the horizon. Street Tech is that light. Please endorse Street Tech and help bring more light over that horizon.

Street tech provides students with computer training and certification as well as internships, job placemnet, and volunteer give back program.

The level of education in the short time the courses takes is fabulous and you will be able to pass the certification tests. The life skills taught get you ready for not only the work place but help you improve your personal strengths and attitudes.Even down to how to interview successfully.

as a a student of street tech i think is a great place for a person who never touched a computer the learn about computers and microsoft applications granted its hard but what in life isin't but if you make a comitment it will be a great reward a certification so give street tech a chance it worked for me and i feel great just dont get on joe's bad side or it can get real ruff.