Valencia College Stories

Thanks to VC's new plumbing program, Yve Servius sees a solid future ahead.

— by Larry Hall

At 21, Yve Servius was homeless and living in his car -- without a clear path to a better life and few viable options.

A friend of his couldn’t stand to see him living in the confined space a car offers, so he and his dad took Servius into their home.

“While I was staying with him, his father, who was a plumber, gave me some tough love. He said, ‘You can’t just sit around with no haircut and no job,” Servius said with a chuckle. “He said you gotta keep taking steps towards your future.”

What did that mean to Servius? He started going on a few plumbing jobs with his friend’s dad and that sparked his interest in pursuing the trade as a career path. So Servius, who grew up in Pine Hills, a neighborhood in Orlando, enrolled in the new Valencia College and Mechanical One Residential/Commercial Plumbing Technician program. He was immediately happy with his decision.

 

 

The Lowe’s Foundation helped launch the college’s new plumbing program with a $500,000 grant, which not only paid for materials and startup costs for the program, but the grant also funded every student’s tuition to take the financial burden off their shoulders.

To Servius, the plumbing program was more than just a class; it created a new family for him.

“I didn’t expect our relationships to get so strong,” Servius said of his classmates and instructors. “I want to give a huge thank you to (instructors) Tom and Randy, they are like family. They didn’t just teach us how to cut pipe and read a blueprint, they taught us how to think and work smart and stay focused even when it gets hard,” Servius continued.

During the 10-week program, Servius learned all the technical skills necessary to be a successful plumber, thanks to the hands-on environment the program promotes. By graduation day, Servius already had 10 job interviews and three job offers. After weighing his options, he signed on with Paramount Plumbing making $24 an hour.

 

 

It’s a success story that incorporates many moving parts along the way, and Servius’ time at Valencia College represents so much more that taking a class.

“Plumbing is about keeping things flowing even when it feels like things are working against you,” Servius said. “This wasn’t just a class; it was a second chance. I want to thank the Lowe’s Foundation for the grant to start this program. It changed my life. Without your support, I wouldn’t be standing here today with a future I’m proud of. What you have done goes far beyond funding, you have helped give people like me a real shot at stability, purpose and finding our worth. I’m not stuck anymore, I’m not just getting by, and for the first time in a long time, I’m moving forward with confidence.”