When Shiann Taylor first visited Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC) counselor Derek Majors, she was a 24-year-old without stable housing and unsure about her future. Taylor recalled, “I was just kind of lost in the streets. I just told myself, ‘I know there’s something better.’” During their meeting, she discussed her interests with Majors: “I said I liked puzzles and putting stuff together. He said, ‘It sounds like you want to be a carpenter,’ and he was right. It changed my life.”
Taylor enrolled as a Carpentry student at LATTC in 2022 and quickly engaged with campus opportunities. As one of the few women in the program, she attended a luncheon hosted by LATTC Carpentry featuring female leaders from Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles during her first semester. One speaker, Yolanda Fike, Community Development Administrator for HFHLA, encouraged her by saying that one day she could be a director or even CEO. Taylor remembered this moment as significant because “no one had ever said something like that to me before.” She added, “Seeing people in higher positions acknowledging me and letting me know that [I] can honestly be somebody [meant a lot].”
During her first year at LATTC, Taylor connected with community resources through the college’s Guardian Scholars Program and Project Tipping Point with LA Room and Board—programs aimed at providing affordable housing and support services to community college students, especially foster youth. Through these programs, Taylor secured housing and part-time work on construction jobs while continuing her education.
Taylor also utilized other campus resources such as Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS), NextUp Foster Youth, and Basic Needs programs. She expressed gratitude for NextUp: “Imagine you’re outside homeless hungry and somebody gives you these little cards and says, ‘Here’s $15, you can use 20 times a month and it’s a warm meal.’ I was so grateful for that little piece of paper.” She borrowed a laptop from the library, received feminine hygiene products through Basic Needs, and paid for textbooks via EOPS.
After completing the Carpentry program last spring, Taylor is now pursuing an Associate’s degree in Sociology at LATTC with plans to transfer to a four-year university. She hopes to return to her community to help others facing similar struggles—whether by assisting with applications or connecting them with resources.
Derek Majors commented on Taylor’s progress: “Shiann’s positive attitude, willingness to seek support, and steady dedication have not only contributed to her success but also served as an inspiring example to her peers and to me.”
Reflecting on her experience at LATTC, Taylor stated: “I really love my school. It saved my life. It gave me all these incredible jobs and put me in all these incredible positions,” adding: “Yes, I love Trade-Tech. Shout out to Trade-Tech.”
