Thursday, October 1, 2026
Rebound on the Road celebrated the graduation of its sixth cohort at Nassau Community College earlier this month, recognizing students who completed an intensive program designed to prepare them for careers in commercial trucking while providing support focused on mental health, recovery and personal growth.
The graduation, on Sept. 3, marked more than the completion of an eight-week training program. It represented a new beginning for many participants.
The program, founded by former NBA star Jayson Williams, is a partnership between Rebound on the Road, Nassau County and NCC. The program offers vocational training to people seeking a second chance, helping participants earn commercial driver’s licenses.
For Jerry Kornbluth, NCC’s vice president of community and government relations, the most meaningful part of the ceremony was seeing how much the students had changed over the course of eight weeks.
“And when you see them, eight weeks later, at a graduation, and what they’re saying to the other people, and the camaraderie that they built, and the family that they built, they’re going to stay forever,” Kornbluth said. “They're never going to go back to their old ways.”
The program, Williams said, emphasizes professionalism, safety and discipline. Participants train in driving, pre-trip inspections and other skills needed to become commercial drivers.
But the program also places a strong emphasis on mental health. Students began their mornings with time devoted to reflection and discussion with mental health professionals before moving into their driving lessons.
“I don’t want to put them behind 80,000 pounds if they’re not feeling it,” Williams said. “The psychiatrist and the psychotherapist are very important in what we do.”
The combination of training and support, he added, helps turn the participants not only into better drivers, but professionals prepared for long-term careers.
“The thing I’m most proud of is that we become family here,” Williams said.
That sense of community was echoed by graduate Emile Arthur-Ricketts, who said the program gave students an environment in which they could support one another while working toward a common goal.
“I really enjoyed it,” Arthur-Ricketts said. “I love the fact that it’s family-oriented. It’s more than just trucking itself. It’s really about people coming together — brotherhood, fatherhood — and we all have a common goal in life.”
The impact of the program extends beyond graduation day. Kornbluth said that more than 100 students who have graduated from the program have gone on to work driving trucks throughout the United States.
Williams said that graduates also remain connected, returning to support one another and helping open doors for future cohorts.
For the students celebrating at NCC, the ceremony marked both an ending and a beginning: the end of eight weeks of demanding training, and the start of careers built on responsibility, stability and the promise of a second chance.
For more information, visit ReboundontheRoad.org.
