James Cordon is an 18 year old Senior in high school, Brockton Clubhouse alumni, and current BGCMS nutrition employee. James first started attending our Clubs in 5th grade, and since then the Brockton Clubhouse has been a safe, second home for James. When he was younger, James loved to play basketball at the Club and participated in the Mayor’s League. He also has very fond memories of attending summer camps at the Club!

James attends Southeastern Regional Vocational Vocational Technical School, which offers their students co-op opportunities- allowing them to work during their vocational shop weeks as long as it’s related to their trade. James knew he wanted to keep working at the Club and saw this as a perfect opportunity to incorporate his culinary learning into his love for the Club.

“Originally I wanted to be a counselor and I was a counselor over the summer in 2019. My school has a Co-Op program, and I’m in culinary arts. So I was trying to figure out what I could do that involves culinary... I asked around to find out how I could still work here and make it so I was still in school, and it still counts as school.”

Now, James works in the kitchen under Nutrition Director Joanne Nixon, who has nothing but praise for this young man and his work ethic. He loves working at the Club, and felt like transitioning from Club kid to Staff was a very easy move to make.

“Working here is pretty fun because I grew up here, I grew up in this building [...] everybody’s friendly, wants to know each other, knows each other’s names… it’s a very family-like environment here. It’s very fun, and it’s not like a job that I don’t want to do. When I come here, I want to go to work.”

James wasn’t always so sure of his place in the community, however. 

“Basically the Club kept me out of trouble too, because I was a little rascal when I was younger, in middle school especially. At one point I wasn’t coming here for 3 months and I was getting in trouble a lot, but coming here kept me away from the bad influences of people on the street and friends that might not necessarily want to succeed. 

When I came here, they helped me do my homework, kept my grades up and helped me out a lot for growth purposes, learning purposes, and just teaching me how to become the person I am today.”

James dedicates much of his success as a young adult to attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, and continues to pass on his experience to the younger generation of Club kids through the meals he makes, and the smiles he shares.