Zyon's Next Step
When Zyon moved from Chicago to North County San Diego during his junior year of high school, his mom wanted what every parent wants for their child: a fresh start, a safe place, and an opportunity to build a good future.
He moved in with his brother. And within two weeks, his brother was arrested.
Suddenly, Zyon was in a new city, attending a new school, with no one at home and very little support. At 18, he had also aged out of some of the services that might otherwise have been available to him.
His high school suggested he stop by the Project Next Future Center.
That introduction would become about much more than figuring out what to do after graduation.
A Place to Land
Zyon met Project Next Career Coach Amanda, who began by helping him navigate the challenges directly in front of him. She connected him with the McKinney-Vento program for students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, helping him access support for basic needs like food and meal delivery.
But when Zyon talks about that time today, what he remembers most isn't a program or a gift card.
He remembers having people he could trust.
Before walking into the Future Center, Zyon says he never really felt like he could count on someone to be there. At Project
Next, he found a place where he felt safe, supported, and part of a community.
"Project Next felt like a second family."
It became a place where he could be vulnerable, ask for help, and know no one was judging him.
And before long, his new community got a little bigger.
Zyon laughs when he remembers being approached almost immediately by the school's football coaches, who essentially informed him, "You're playing football for us."
He wanted to play, but there was a problem. He didn't have the equipment he needed.
So he went back to Amanda.
She connected him with another community resource that helped him get a pair of cleats.
And Zyon played football.
From "What's Next?" to What's Possible
After graduation, Zyon knew college wasn't necessarily the path he wanted. He was interested in the trades, but he wasn't yet sure what that future could look like.
Then another opportunity opened.
Project Next partnered with HomeAid on a 10-week construction trades program that combined hands-on learning, coursework, and job-placement support.
Zyon was the first former student Amanda thought of.
She called him and told him to apply.
He did.
Zyon was accepted alongside nine other Project Next graduates and spent the next 10 weeks exploring the construction trades, developing new skills, and discovering where his interests could take him.
This past September, he graduated from the program.
And now Zyon knows his next step.
He wants to become an electrician.
Zyon's story is a reminder of why Project Next exists. Talent, determination, and potential were already his. What changed were the opportunities, connections, and people surrounding him.
Sometimes a student's next step begins with career exploration.
Sometimes it begins with a pair of cleats.
And sometimes it begins with simply having a place to walk into and know someone will be there.
