A 21-year-old Mr. Anup Lakra, hails from a far off village Dhatukimal, Sambalpur district of Odisha. His family consists of four members; his brother and parents. His father, a daily wager, found it hard to ends meet. Mother is a housewife and his brother is still studying. Poverty forced him to drop out of school after the 10th standard. Thereafter, he was spending his time unplanned in the village; playing games and wandering around with friends.

One day, while mobilization was on, the trainers met and explained to him about the free skill training program at Don Bosco The for the youth like him in the hospitality sector. Having gone through proper counseling Mr. Lakra enrolled for the training in Food & Beverages Service Steward (F&B) on October 14, 2019. During the training, he was regular to the classes. He seemed to be honest in his dealings. In his studies, he was a quick learner. Above all, he was determined towards his goal. He learned well everything taught in class. Besides domain knowledge, he picked up the basics of Computer and English. Initially, he was not interested to go for a job. But the visit to Patnhanivas, Sambalpur, his mindset changed totally. Lived carefree in the village after being dropped out of school, he became a bit arrogant. And this was visible during the training too. However, training in Life Skills shaped his life. By the end of the three-month-training, he turned out to be a gentleman.

Mr. Lakra learned well during the three months training, be it the domain knowledge, English or Computer. By nature, he was smart, and this was his advantage during the campus interview. Seeing the caliber of this boy, the HR had no choice but to select him to work with the Tharanga Restaurant at Nellore, Andhra Pradesh with an initial salary of Rs. 9,000/- per month. He is contented with the current job profile. From the salary he gets, he is educating his brother, helping his parents financially. Parents are also happy with Anup’s change, more than his help. The financial condition is better now. His hard work and dedication changed his persona and now his seniors consider him as one of the most efficient employees.

Mr. Lakra is a living example of an individual who believes in self, makes the most of each situation, and remains focused on his goals in life, letting nothing, absolutely nothing, deter him from his path. There is no education like adversity; this finds resonance with almost all achievers in life, who have not only turned their lives around for the better but have become a beacon of hope for those, who have given up hope. “I am happy about who I am today. And it’s only because of Don Bosco Tech. The training program of Don Bosco Tech Society improved my personality and brought out the best in me,” said Mr. Lakra.