“She is the light of my world, my little spitfire. She is my everything,” Kendra says of her seven-year-old daughter Jaylee.

Before graduating from Climb’s Commercial Driving License (CDL) training in Casper three years ago, Kendra was surviving paycheck to paycheck, working at a gas station for $10 an hour.

“It was pretty bleak. I wasn’t able to spend much time with my daughter because of my work schedule. I was never home. I would drop her off at school, and she would cry and cry and not want me to leave her. And then I would get home with only enough time to tuck her into bed.”

“Thanks to Climb, I feel more secure. I am giving my daughter opportunities that she didn’t have before.”

-Kendra, Climb Wyoming Graduate

During this time in her life, Kendra says she relied on food stamps and other community assistance programs.

After completing training, Kendra began her job placement at the Food Bank of Wyoming, where she still works today. She earns a high enough salary that she no longer needs government assistance.

Kendra loves driving her big semi, delivering critical food resources to families in need. She’s really proud to use her training and career to pay it forward. She says sometimes people are surprised when she hops out of her truck, standing barely 5 feet tall. “Me just being the mighty woman that I am, I show that I can do it. I guess my smile just changes people’s minds.”

Two Years After Climb