For young men struggling to gain foothold, search for career brings hope, heartache

The morning of his final internship evaluation, Adonis Clayborn woke up in his girlfriend’s car. Unable to afford a motel room, he had reclined the driver’s seat, covered himself in sweaters he kept in the trunk and slept the night in the silver Nissan Sentra with the Hello Kitty license plate frame. Still, the soft-spoken 22-year-old showed up to work on time, wearing a pink tie given to him by a colleague.

Clayborn was nearing the end of his eight-week internship at Skolnik Industries, a manufacturer near Midway Airport that makes steel drums, and would soon learn if he would be offered a job.

As Clayborn sat in a conference room that May afternoon, his long springy hair piled into a high ponytail, the internship organizers asked how he enjoyed working there.

“I love it,” Clayborn said firmly. “They actually want you to succeed.”