The Resource Center Project Search Intern graduates Nick Kenzie, Abigail Adam, and Joshual Holsinger (June 29, 2023)
Three interns have been recognized in the first graduation ceremony of the Project Search program through The Resource Center and UPMC Chautauqua.
TRC Employment and Community-Based Services Director Terry Johnson said Abigail Adam, Joshua Holsinger, and Nick Kenzie were part of the full-immersion nine-month internship program, “So, the interns have the opportunity to go to a host business, which happens to be UPMC Chautauqua, and have a variety of experiences. And each experience grows and develops their skills a little bit further. Through the course of the nine months, they were enhancing and developing those skills a little bit deeper with each internship.”
Johnson said this was the first class to go through the Project Search program in Jamestown, “They all had one common goal, which is, they wanted employment. And they wanted to build on those employment skills so they could achieve a goal. At the beginning of the session, we did interviews with people who applied for the program and then we did a selection and it was very easy to see that these three individuals had a strong desire to work and build those skills.”
UPMC Chautauqua Nutrition and Food Services Director Kerry Mihalko said the internship program has been amazing not just for the interns but for the employees who mentored the interns, “They’ve enjoyed teaching them new skills. But most importantly, they’ve enjoyed watching the interns grow. And it’s really given them a satisfaction of their own to watch them grow and learn.”
Abigail, Joshua, and Nick will now begin the process of applying for jobs in the community.
The program was funded through the State Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities.
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