Despite the pandemic, Sept. 9 marked the first day of school for students throughout West Virginia. It also marked the debut of the inaugural class of students in WVU Medicine’s Project SEARCH.
Seven students from the region arrived at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital to get acclimated and meet the staff. Employees lined the hallways with pompoms and welcome signs to greet the students. To see a CONNECT photo gallery of the inaugural class of Project SEARCH students, click here.
Last year, WVU Medicine announced its partnership with Project SEARCH, an international organization that provides internship experiences for high school students with disabilities. While the program itself has existed since 1996, Ruby Memorial is the state’s first location to host the internship experience. More than 14 community partners have joined to ensure the success of the program.
“The excitement has been building for this day to arrive and it’s finally here,” Whitney Rae Hatcher, business liaison for Project SEARCH and manager of Volunteer Services and Friends Gift Shop, said. “We’re delighted to be working with these students and with our community partners. There are over 20 departments within Ruby memorial that have offered to host these interns, and this will be a great opportunity and experience for these students to learn skills that will ultimately lead to their employment.”
Project SEARCH will be coordinated and hosted by WVU Medicine. Together, in partnership with other community organizations, they will create a one-year immersion experience that combines classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations in host departments.