On August 7, 2026, Operation New Hope celebrated an exciting milestone in Tampa Bay: the graduation of the 100th Career Development class at our Tampa location.
Surrounded by family, friends, community members, and the Operation New Hope Tampa team, 10 graduates were recognized for completing the first three weeks of our year-long Ready4Work program. This powerful accomplishment represents both how far they have come and the opportunities that are still ahead.
For Operation New Hope, the celebration also marked 100 classes of individuals who have walked through our Tampa doors ready to work toward a new future.
Career Development is an intensive, three-week course that begins Operation New Hope’s nationally recognized Ready4Work program. Participants attend classes Monday through Friday, building the skills, confidence, and tools needed to successfully enter or reenter the workforce.
Throughout the course, participants create resumes, practice interview skills, learn how to navigate a digital job search, develop workplace skills, and explore topics such as emotional regulation, teamwork, professional communication, and dressing for success.
Participants also learn how to utilize tools that are essential in today’s workforce, from email to LinkedIn, while gaining strategies for confidently discussing their skills, experiences, and employment history with potential employers.
During the third week, volunteer business professionals conduct mock interviews, giving participants an opportunity to put what they have learned into practice and receive feedback before beginning their interviews with employers.
Participants don’t do this preparation work alone. Each person is supported by an individualized team that includes a Case Manager, Job Coach, and Mental Health Therapist. Together, they help address not only employment goals but also the barriers that make successful reentry difficult.
Graduation recognizes the dedication required to complete three weeks of full-time Career Development, but it is only the beginning. For the next 11 months, Ready4Work participants continue receiving individualized support from their team as they pursue employment, stability, self-sufficiency, and long-term success.
The 100th graduation celebrated 10 men in the Tampa Bay community who are taking meaningful steps forward following involvement with the justice system.
As part of the celebration, each graduate shared what hope means to him and the role it plays in his life today.
“Hope means to always be determined, dedicated, ambitious, and persistent,” shared Cordaryl Williams, who was selected by his peers as the class’s Student of the Week in recognition of his determination, persistence, encouragement, and progress throughout the course.
Graduate Willie Mason reflected on hope as the possibility of continuing forward, even through life’s most difficult circumstances.
“Hope is the quiet certainty that even after loss, failure, or suffering there is still a path toward becoming who I was meant to be,” Willie shared.
He also expressed gratitude for the team that supported him throughout Career Development.
“I would like to thank the entire staff team at Operation New Hope for their genuine sincerity in wanting to help others succeed, and for providing the resources and opportunity to get a foothold on what’s ahead to assure progress in life.”
The ceremony also included remarks from Dr. St. Clair Moore, Operation New Hope’s Director of the Tampa Bay Region, who oversees our Tampa and St. Petersburg locations. Career Development Instructors Karen DeGrasse and Kelly Nowell, who work alongside participants throughout the three-week course, hosted the milestone celebration.
Operation New Hope expanded into Tampa Bay in the summer of 2024 with the opening of our Tampa and St. Petersburg locations. Since then, our Tampa team has supported more than 500 individuals through Career Development and on to graduation.
Every week, a new class begins Career Development as another moves closer to graduation. With each class comes a new group of individuals with unique experiences, talents, challenges, and goals. Our team has the privilege of meeting each participant where they are and working alongside them as they build the skills, resources, and confidence needed to create new opportunities for themselves and their families.
Reaching 100 Career Development classes is truly something to celebrate, both as an organization and as a community. This milestone represents the persistence and dedication of hundreds of individuals who have chosen to take another step forward, despite the challenges they have faced. It also celebrates the staff members, employers, volunteers, community partners, families, and supporters who have chosen to walk alongside them. Successful reentry is incredibly difficult without support. These 100 classes are a reminder of what is possible when individuals are given the tools, opportunities, and community they need to move forward.
Congratulations to the graduates of Tampa’s 100th Career Development class!
This milestone gives us an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come in Tampa while looking ahead to what’s next.
In the weeks, months, and years ahead, more Tampa Bay residents will walk through our doors ready to take their next step. We are excited to see where those steps lead and to continue growing the impact of Ready4Work throughout the Tampa Bay community.
Here’s to the next 100 classes, the milestones still ahead, and most importantly, the individuals who will make them meaningful.
Congratulations, Class 100. Your next chapter is just beginning!
