SAN ANTONIO – Michaela Frye has been a military spouse for over two decades.
“My husband served 21 years. He’s retired, finally retired to Air National Guard and still works on base,” Frye said.
Now she’s focusing on her own career in tech.
That’s all thanks to NPower, a national nonprofit offering veterans and spouses free IT training. The funding comes from companies like USAA.
In February, Frye caught KSAT’s story about the new pilot program in San Antonio and immediately signed up.
She just graduated from the program on Friday and has already started an apprenticeship in tech.
When asked if she’s earning more money than she was before, she said, “Absolutely. There’s no question. With the apprenticeship, I’m making about one-fourth of the normal salary, and that’s still more than I was making before.”
The first 16 weeks of the NPower program cover basic tech training, offering four industry certifications.
After that, students can continue learning and gather even more certifications.
“Onward and upward. The sky’s the limit, wherever you want to go. And there’s so many things to do,” Frye said.
The basic training classes are virtual, but students can go into the San Antonio office to get help with cover letters, resume writing, mock interviews and even free headshots.
The pilot program had a 92% retention rate, meaning students who started and finished the program.
One-third of the graduating students already have new jobs.
Forty-four percent of the class was comprised of women, furthering an NPower goal.
“Increasing the amount of women in tech. They represent 5% globally. And so we’re looking to diversify tech, change the stereotypes,” said NPower San Antonio Site Director Samantha Coleman.
That’s something Frye is proud to contribute to.
“I’m just as good, you know? It’s OK for me to be here. We’re all just people contributing. And as long as people can look at it that way, it means that maybe I can make that little bit of a difference,” she said.
Coleman said another goal is to include more at-risk youth ages 18-26 in their classes.
“Moving people from poverty to middle-class status and reaching the most vulnerable in the community,” Coleman said.
Frye hopes anyone eligible will take advantage of the program.
“Words cannot express. It’s opened up an entire world to me that I just never thought I would be able to achieve. I thought that was for other people, and now I can,” Frye said.
Monday was orientation for the new cohort of students.
Anyone who is eligible can still sign up until Thursday.
Contact NPower at 210-343-5410 or email admissionssanantonio@npower.org.
If you don’t have a laptop or Wifi hotspot, NPower can provide them for you.