Success Story – Darren

Darren, a Bloom360 Learner for seven years, graduated on June 7, 2024. Darren’s graduation was a major life milestone for him and a historic moment for our school. Darren proudly received his diploma in front of his family, friends, and community.
Zach and Nicci, his Learning Guides, remembered Darren on his first day at Bloom360 Learning Community as a “nervous, unsure 14-year-old whose favorite word was ‘no.’ It is inspiring to see where he is now – a confident young man who is capable of succeeding in the world.”
Darren said to those gathered, “This diploma means a lot to me and helps to set me up for success in the future. Using my character strengths of humor, perseverance, and honesty has helped me get through my academic career. I am excited to see where life takes me.”
Fellow Learners celebrated Darren with a song they wrote full of jokes called, “428,580 Minutes,” after calculating the number of minutes he had been at Bloom360. They also sang “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
Darren now works for a global home improvement company, a job he landed on his own after two summer internships at Bloom360 and integrating all he has learned. He has earned 12 teamwork awards, is cross trained in five departments, is a licensed forklift driver and recently was promoted to sales specialist. In this role, he confidently guides appliance sales for residential and commercial accounts. Because of Bloom360’s carefully designed program, Darren is navigating complicated customer service issues, is co-leader of the store’s safety team and trains new cashiers. He is on his way to realizing his dream of being a store manager!