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Human sprit prevails at BOSS graduation  

Last Friday 81 people who have turned their lives around with the help of Building Opportunities of Self Sufficiency donned traditional caps and gowns for the eighth annual graduation ceremony at St. John’s Presbyterian Church. 

BOSS Director boona cheema officiated the ceremony and Mayor Shirley Dean handed out diplomas to the graduates who have successfully completed one of a variety of BOSS adult education programs including basic education, culinary arts and computers skills.  

Family and friends of the graduates filled the elegant church hall to capacity. Many cheered and applauded as Dean handed each graduate a diploma. 

“This is wonderful,” Dean said. “Completing these courses is not an easy thing and it’s good to see the human spirit prevail.” 

BOSS’s programs are designed for low-income and homeless people who are trying to find their way into the work force. The courses are taught at a variety of sites in Oakland and Berkeley. 

According to the BOSS Web site, there are four strategies the organization is applying to end homelessness and poverty. They are: Community building, housing, support services and economic development. Adult education is one of the services in the economic development component of the plan. 

Dr. John Randal attended the ceremony to see Raschelle Kessler graduate. Six months ago Randal hired Kessler to work in his office at the nonprofit World of Work in Oakland. Kessler, who completed BOSS clerical courses, is now Randal’s executive administrative assistant. 

“BOSS is offering these people survival skills that most of us take for granted,” Randal said. “They are receiving the physical, mental and spiritual skills needed to overcome hardship.” 

Ray Jackson, 44, graduated Berkeley High School in 1975. He went on to college and studied psychology before he developed a drinking problem. He was able to stop drinking in 1993 only to relapse five years later. 

“It was April, 1998,” he said. “Thought I could have a drink and it turned out I couldn’t.” 

Once Jackson stopped drinking again, he had been out of the job market some time and needed to refresh his computer skills. A friend told him about BOSS’s Adult Education Program and Jackson was soon enrolled. 

Jackson was trained in a variety of software programs including Power Point, Access and Microsoft Windows. With some assistance from BOSS, Jackson found a job with Nurse Finders in San Francisco seven months ago. Jackson is now a manager and is responsible for placing nurses with hospitals throughout the Bay Area. 

“I found BOSS and they put me back on my feet again,” Jackson said. “Now I have a job and a job with a future.” 

Jackson said he plans to enroll at Cal State Hayward in January to get a degree in Human Resources.