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Ten interns graduated from the UAMS Project SEARCH program on May 21.
UAMS Celebrates 10 Project SEARCH Graduates
| Members of Team UAMS gathered May 21 to celebrate 10 interns as they graduated from the 2019 UAMS Project SEARCH program, a job-training program that helps young adults with disabilities develop independent living and working skills.
Anna Lum signs to the crowd that she gained confidence as a result of her time at Project SEARCH.
The students spent nine months at UAMS working in various departments, learning valuable job skills. Each student was presented a certificate of completion and invited to the microphone to tell about their experiences in the program.
Interns Kiera Jones and Anna Lum told the audience they were more confident as a result of their time at UAMS Project SEARCH. Bryce Taylor said he faced challenges during the program, but he overcame them. And Wade Wyeth said during his time working in the Library he “found a mentor who sees something in me that I didn’t see.”
Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, praised the interns for their dedication.
“This class of interns embraced this experience and their enthusiasm never flagged as they tackled new challenges and gained new skills in the process,” he said. “This particular class was especially dedicated, with some of them commuting from Pine Bluff, Hot Springs Village and even Monticello five days a week, because they specifically wanted to intern at UAMS.”
One intern’s grandmother wrote a letter to LeAnn Robertson, UAMS Project SEARCH coordinator, about her granddaughter’s experiences. She thanked Project SEARCH and ARS Counselor for helping the family arrange transportation to and from Little Rock, which is about 1,000 miles each week.
“I am amazed at how she can get around UAMS. She couldn’t do this at her previous school, and she always had a hard time finding her classrooms,” the grandmother wrote. “I am so thankful this program has shown her that she can work having a disability and earn an income. I truly owe many thanks to Project SEARCH for helping her grow into an independent young adult.”
Arkansas state Sen. Missy Irvin told the graduates they have so much to offer their future employers, their communities and the world.
Completing its sixth year, the project is a partnership with the Little Rock-based nonprofit ACCESS® and Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. UAMS Project SEARCH was first of its kind in central Arkansas. It was modeled after a program that began in 1996 at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Arkansas state Sen. Missy Irvin served as the graduation’s keynote speaker.
She urged the graduates not to be defined by their disabilities. Just as the word “hip” has many meanings in the English language — giving it more importance than its three letters would suggest — the graduates have so much to offer their future employers, their communities and the world.
“Project SEARCH has uncovered all of these abilities that you have to contribute to the world you are about to go into,” she said. “Don’t be limited by three letters; you can do so much.”
Tammy Simmons, the executive director of ACCESS, and Alan McClain, commissioner of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, congratulated the graduates on their hard work and achievements in completing the program.
Nauman Pathan (center) interned in the Fitness Center with Adam Carter and Natalie Cannady.
“Through this program, the interns are acquiring competitive, marketable and transferable skills to enable them to apply for a related position at a business in our community. In addition to gaining skills in a specific industry, they are also gaining problem-solving and communication skills that are applicable to any job,” said Simmons.
McClain praised the graduates for their courage in applying to UAMS Project SEARCH.
“Thank you for inspiring us with your courage, and thank you for the impact you’ve had on everyone you worked with,” he said.
Judy Smith, director of transition programs at Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, applauded UAMS for its commitment to Project SEARCH and the young adults it serves. Because of the program’s success at UAMS, other Arkansas hospitals have worked with ACCESS and Arkansas Rehabilitation Services to bring Project SEARCH to their institutions.
During the program, each intern spent more than 580 hours on the job, as well as having 500 hours of employability skills training, Patterson said. Sixteen departments participated in this year’s program, including Center for Diversity Affairs, Central Supply, Classroom Technologies, Communications & Marketing, the Fitness Center, Engineering and Operations, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Mail Processing, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Nutrition Services, Patient Transport, Project REACH, Radiology, Rehabilitation Services, the UAMS Library and Volunteer Services.
Since it began in 2013, UAMS Project SEARCH has graduated more than 65 young adults. Of these, more than 75 percent had obtained full-time employment at the time of graduation, and the majority found jobs within a few months of graduating. Employers include UAMS, Dillard’s Inc., Arkansas Children’s Hospital, CHI St. Vincent, Fox Ridge Senior Living Center, Maverick Transportation, the Jim Dailey Fitness Center and Texas Roadhouse.
This year’s UAMS Project SEARCH graduates are:
- William Armstrong
- LaCorey DeShazier
- Kiera Jones
- Anna Lum
- Nauman Pathan
- Shelby Roush
- Bryce Taylor
- Shijuan Tucker
- Myia Williams
- Wade Wyeth