Jelani, seventeen-year-old from Hawthorne, was attending traditional school before being referred to the SBWIB YouthBuild program by his counselor. Jelani was seeking an alternative school due to his unique lifestyle. After hearing about the opportunities of earning credit and completing volunteer hours for AmeriCorps while attending construction classes through the SBWIB YouthBuild program, Jelani was eager to enroll.

Through the SBWIB YouthBuild program, Jelani learned about the true meaning of leadership, which helped him overcome obstacles in his life. He also learned the basics of carpentry with the construction activities, he gained the knowledge he could utilize in his everyday life and how to be hands-on with tools and building from scratch.

Jelani aspires to be a social media content creator after graduating.