Through the ups and downs of life, finding the right job that sparks passion in you can be challenging.
Terel Dunn has been faced with bumps in his career path, but he has never let any of it deter him.
“A while ago I could’ve told you exactly where I was going to be,” Dunn said. “I was all packed to go into the military when I got told I couldn’t due to an allergy to penicillin. After that, I was feeling lost.”
Dunn then started as a nighttime security guard at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE). Soon after starting, Dunn moved to daytime security.
“I was working at the front desk one day and talking to Joni Wheeler when she mentioned a new program called Ignite Nebraska,” Dunn said.
Ignite Nebraska is a paid apprenticeship program founded by Wheeler, BCBSNE executive vice president of strategic talent and enterprise shared services. Dunn applied and was accepted to an Ignite Nebraska apprenticeship cohort. Through the program, he completed on-the-job training at BCBSNE while learning information technology skills in the classroom at Bellevue University.
“I once told myself I would never go back to school,” Dunn said. “However, I always knew it was in me. Going to Bellevue University and graduating through the Ignite program gave me the confidence that I needed for a new career.”
As a kid, Dunn used to take apart his PlayStation and put it back together. The IT curriculum available through Ignite proved to be the perfect fit for him and his interests.
“I just told myself, I don’t know how to do it, but I am going to figure it out,” Dunn said. “My advice to people thinking about making a change in their life is to try to always have a good thought process because you can easily overwhelm yourself and that can belittle your motivation to do better.”
Ignite’s mission is to change people’s lives for the better and give them the tools, skills, support and courage to take on a new chapter.
“The support of the people in the Ignite program was my favorite part,” Dunn said. “The people there are always pushing you, and I always felt like there was someone there to help me.”
At first, Dunn thought it was going to be hard with the learning curriculum but once he got down all the basics of IT, it turned out to be something he knew he could do and be good at. Dunn is now a service admin with the executive service team at BCBSNE. With the support of his coworkers, family, gym buddies and wellness challenges at BCBSNE, Dunn is still striving to be better.
“Honestly, I am just now finding myself,” Dunn said. “The first step for me that snowballed into where I am now with the help of Ignite was focusing on exercising as an outlet. I was determined to better myself in every way possible and that’s where it all started shifting my mindset to me.”
To read more stories like this one, visit Health and Wellness.
*Wise & Well is a monthly wellness series highlighting BCBSNE employees and their dedication to health and wellness.
