WVU Hospitals (WVUH) held a graduation ceremony for the fifth Project SEARCH class of interns on Thursday, May 22.

Project SEARCH is an internship experience for students with mild to moderate intellectual and developmental disabilities who are in their last year of high school eligibility or have recently graduated.

Once accepted into the program, the student interns report to WVUH instead of their home school districts. During this time, they gain real-world employment experience rotating through job roles and departments.

Project SEARCH serves as the student interns’ capstone educational experience and often leads to employment once the internships are complete.

“Our leaders and department staff see the importance of Project SEARCH and working with these good people and helping them on their journey and after as they become employment eligible and move, hopefully, within positions at WVU Hospitals,” Michael A. Grace, Ed.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.H.E., WVU Hospitals president and CEO, said.

In 2019, J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital became the first location in West Virginia to host Project SEARCH and has led more than 20 program graduates to employment.

“I can see how we are changing lives, internally and externally, with the students that are here, with their parents and families, the schools – just everyone they interact with,” Colleen Sybert, WVUH vice president of human resources and Project SEARCH executive sponsor, said. “I have watched this program grow over the past five years. We have tripled the number of rotations that we have had since year one, and the change in our culture has been incredible.”

This year’s graduating class includes eight interns from Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties:

• Jenna Austin, a graduate of Grafton High School, completed rotations at WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. She has accepted a position at Grafton City Hospital.
• Nicole Biszantz, a graduate of East Fairmont High School, completed rotations in the WVU Medicine Children’s, WVUH Outpatient Pharmacy, and Bright Horizons Child Development Center. She is seeking employment in a hospital setting in the Fairmont area.
• Haley Dulin, a graduate of Morgantown High School, completed rotations in Perioperative Care, WVU Medicine Children’s, and Sterile Processing. She is currently employed by WVUH as a patient care assistant.
• Nash Haun, a graduate of Morgantown High School, completed rotations in the WVUH Friends Gift Shop, Nutrition Services, WVU Medicine Children’s, and Environmental Services. He is currently seeking full-time employment in Morgantown.
• Hannah Karinshak, a graduate of University High School, completed rotations at WVU Medicine Children’s and the Bright Horizons Child Development Center, where she is currently employed.
• Shakira Koontz, graduating this week from Grafton High School, completed rotations in the Rosenbaum Family House, Hospital Administration, and Legal Services. She will be seeking employment in the hospital setting.
• Laura Smouse, a graduate of Preston High School, completed rotations in the Friends Gift Shop, Bright Horizons Child Development Center, and Central Transport, where she is currently employed.
• Ashley Vandegrift, a graduate of East Fairmont High School, completed rotations at Bright Horizons Child Development Center, Nutrition Services, and Family House. Vandegrift is currently seeking employment in Fairmont. Project SEARCH graduates often find immediate employment upon completion of the program.

“One of the reasons I love Project SEARCH is that every department we work with in the hospital welcomes our interns into the program and makes them feel at home,” Kim Hartsell, WVU Hospitals Project SEARCH business liaison, said.

“Their transformations from their first day with us to graduation is astounding. These students have learned how to work as members of a team and communicate with their peers and managers. Several of them also learned how to drive and obtained their driver’s licenses through the program. The skills they have learned will help them be successful as they enter the workforce.”

The interns began their training in August 2024 with a five-day summer camp to become familiar with their instructors and hospital staff. Stephen Callen, Project SEARCH skills trainer, said this was the first year for the camp, and it offered the students insight into the expectations of the upcoming rotations and classroom learning. Callen said this enabled them to become more comfortable as they prepared to embark on their new challenges.

“Each intern is different, so they need a different set of skills,” Callen said. “It’s like that balancing act in the classroom where you have to pull someone in a little bit and others you have to raise up and give them the confidence to speak up in the classroom, which then translates into their rotations.”

Biszantz said the immersive experience allowed her to achieve the confidence and skills needed to compete in the workforce. She also said she gained valuable friendships and a chance to learn beyond a typical classroom setting.

“Project SEARCH gave me an opportunity that most kids don’t really get and actually makes it easier for me to get a job because I have experience in different types of categories,” she said. “Don’t think about this like a school, think about it like this is a class to start your future in working.”

Project SEARCH is supported by the West Virginia Department of Education in partnership with West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, PACE Enterprises, the Mitsubishi Electric Foundation, Livability, Bright Horizons Childcare Development Center, the Fairmont Disability Action Center, West Virginia University, and WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities.

For more information about Project SEARCH, visit ProjectSEARCH.us.

To learn more about WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.