My name is Christopher Holeman. I dropped out of Newberg High School at age 17 after only completing tenth grade. I got involved with the wrong crowd which led me to fall behind in school ultimately wanting to drop out and pursue my GED.
At first, I went to my counselor at Newberg High School, first asking to get enrolled in Mountain View Spring, the alternative school at Newberg High School. My counselor recommended that I get my GED because I was so behind in credits. She informed me of the YOOP program and I called YOOP and signed up for their orientation. At the time I was living in Newberg so I decided to attend the Newberg YOOP orientation. I didn’t pursue much more after going to the orientation. I moved in with a friend in Newberg and was not engaged with getting my GED. In October I moved to McMinnville to live with my mother and siblings. I applied for a job at Harvest Fresh being a dishwasher in the deli and got it! Fast forward to December 2019 I attended anther orientation at the McMinnville YOOP after realizing that I needed to get my GED to pursue my career in becoming a Machinists. I was enrolled by February and began to actively work towards my GED. Going into March COVID-19 decided to put my GED on hold. I took all four practice tests and passed them all with a 160 or more. Due to COVID-19, I was unable to take my official tests because the testing center was not open. I was fortunate enough to work during the three-month quarantine. After the three months, in June the testing center opened up and I was able to complete all 4 tests in a matter of two weeks with all scores over 159.
I am currently still working at Harvest Fresh and am looking to further my career in becoming a Machinist. I have looked at doing an internship at A.R.E. Manufacturing when they open up for internships. YOOP has been able to keep me on track through the whole corona crazy which ultimately led me to get my GED.
