Reyna has been working at Defense and Aerospace Business Solutions (DABS), in Kent, since graduating from the Orion Manufacturing Training Program, nearly a year and a half ago. Reyna is doing mechanical assembly, working primarily on bearings, but she has also done sealing, grinding, and has worked in rivets. She found that the skills she learned at Orion helped her become comfortable in her position at DABS quickly. She was proud that she was able to swiftly figure out how to assemble bearings, saying, "I'm confident that I know what to do, and that confidence lets me concentrate on doing the job well."

The skills that Reyna learned in Orion's paid training program are what let her grow her confidence. Reyna came to Orion as a refugee from Guatemala, where she was a Police Officer, then later became an Investigator. Reyna learned about Orion's training programs from a friend of a friend. Liking what she heard, she came for a program tour and decided to sign up for the training. 

In addition to gaining job skills in Orion's training program,  Reyna had other hurdles to clear. She was working on earning her driver's license, and having her children join her from Guatemala.  Reyna speaks Spanish and takes classes on the weekends to learn English. Even so, the use of a smartphone and a translating app promptly alleviated any c oncerns regarding a potential language barrier. Once Reyna and her mentors knew that they could effectively communicate, she was free to concentrate on learning important job skills.

While at Orion Reyna worked one-on-one with a mentor and received hands-on experience in mechanical assembly and other areas. She  excelled in all areas of the training program; her productivity and quality of work at Orion were outstanding, and she showed that she had an exceptional capacity to learn multi-step tasks rapidly. As a result of her hard work, she was selected for Orion's Manufacturing Internship, where she learned more complex techniques. Reyna was also selected as Orion's Worker of the Month for October 2017. 

The skills that Reyna gained have opened up a career path for her. She took those skills to DABS and continues to do excellent work for them. Reyna said, "I enjoy putting what I already know into practical experience and learning new things. I've been working a second job at McDonald's, but with the skills I learned at Orion, and am now using every day at DABS, I feel like I have an opportunity for growth in aerospace manufacturing. I would recommend Orion's paid training to anyone who is looking for a better future." 

Congratulations Reyna!