VIDEO: Luis’ Story

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION

Colby Grindean:
You know, our kids they don’t come to afterschool program because of the clubs, they come because of the relationships.

Luis:
I remember Shepherd picking me up from school in those little Shepherd bands buses, since I was in third or fourth grade.

Colby Grindean:
I first met Luis. He was with our elementary program. That was the first experience and then the auto shop at tech.

Luis:
I thought he was a pretty cool person. I always wanted to be next to him, seeing what he was doing inspired me to be someone.

Colby Grindean:
He enjoyed this. We talked about it, “You know, do you enjoy this?” Even if you don’t do this for the rest of your life, this is a good way to start.

Luis:
I like working on cars. Sometimes it’s not about the money, it’s about getting my hands dirty to figure out a puzzle, which I don’t understand.

Daniel Doherty:
If a system isn’t working, he starts to process it. He has that natural ability to do that.

Pat O’Brien:
I didn’t know anything about Luis’s background when Colby at Shepherd called me and said would I mind talking to Luis about an opportunity to grow in our service department.

Dan Johnson:
Well, the first thing when I saw him and talked to him for a little while, was his smile. He’s got the biggest smile of anybody and it was really happy to have a opportunity to come to work for us. He’s been accepted into the Toyota T-TEN program, which is an advanced program at Ivy Tech, for people who want to work on Toyotas only.

Colby Grindean:
We’ve done a good job of getting to the root of what he really wants to do and really who he is. Then building on that. I think we’ve provided a ton of opportunities that he wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Luis:
I love being able to learn and being able to challenge myself every day.

Colby Grindean:
The reason that Shepard works is because of that continuum. The idea of getting a student when young, whether that’s in project Jordan, which is zero three, the academy, the elementary after-school program, middle school, high school, whenever we get them in, but also working with the families for that long, gaining trust in the families.

Pat O’Brien:
It’s a whole family experience with Shepherd. I think they have really gained the wisdom necessary for them to be able to truly affect entire families on the near east side.

Daniel Doherty:
I’m very, very proud of him. I truly believe that whatever he tries, he will be successful.

Dan Johnson:
I think he’s going to be a great tech in the future.

Luis:
Just like Colby helped me. I like to help people as well, get them through tough situations or telling them that they’re not simply alone.

Colby Grindean:
No, I just recognized in him something special. I mean, he just really, I think is going to succeed in a big way.

Luis:
I’ve never had an actual father. So I look up to people, not for a father figure, but pointing out the things that I would like to be, like the type of father or the type of man I would like to become and Colby shows me that.

Colby Grindean:
If you’re going to have any influence on someone in the direction of their life, they have to trust you.