A group of 14 women, some of whom were inmates or former foster kids, became the first all-female class to graduate from a Los Angeles County firefighter training program.

"I never thought I would be a college student," valedictorian Tiffany Flint said. "I never thought I'd be any of this. It's all very amazing, and I am just so grateful."

Nine months ago, Flint and her cohort committed to the LA County Training Center's Firefighter Training Program, which was created by the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department.

"As a preteen, I was losing a lot of people I loved to the streets," Flint said. "By the time I was a teenager, I got used to the feeling of loss with no one to turn to. I resorted to the same lifestyle."

With their adversity, the women saw the program as a way to create

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