On June 25th at St. Mary’s General Hospital, students’ family, friends, co-workers, mentors, managers and the Project SEARCH team came together to celebrate the success of the 2023-2024 students at the Project SEARCH Graduation. Read what’s next for our graduates and learn more about Project SEARCH below!
Highlights from this year’s Project SEARCH Graduates!
After graduating from Project SEARCH, one student from this year and two students from last year will be furthering their education and attending Conestoga College Community Integration Through Co-operative Education (CICE) Program.
We are also proud to share the employment success of some of our recent graduates! Three students from last year’s graduating class have gained employment in the community (at Sobeys, Old Navy, and Tim Hortons). Additionally, one student secured employment with ChefD Catering before graduating from Project SEARCH!
All of the Project SEARCH students have gained independence in time management and learning how to working on their own in various departments in the hospital. This year, the instructional team has developed new internships in the Post Heart Investigation Unit, Cardiac Catheterization Lab, and Environmental Services.
Quotes from our Project SEARCH Graduates:
“I like proving that I can be independent at my internships. I like to be able to work with all the skills I am learning at Project SEARCH.” -Alejandro
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned to do work skills to get a job in the real world. My favourite part was listening to music in my departments and the dogs coming to the hospital. I want to thank Jenn for giving me my birthday gifts and for playing T-Swift in M.O.P.” -Maria Broda
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned while working in the Emergency Department that not everyday is going to be a good day. My favourite part was interacting and assisting with the patients. A lot of the time the patients just need someone to talk to. I want to thank the porters Alvin and Jeff for making me laugh and especially when I make them laugh.” -Matthew Colombo
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned how to communicate with co-workers by saying hello, good morning and how was your night. My favourite part was working in MDRD Medical Device Reprocessing Department. I want to thank Meg for helping me in General Medicine.” -Dustin McCulligh
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned how to count inventory in MDRD. My favourite part was Red Day at the hospital. I want to thank Rita for helping me and having fun.” -Chloe Murphy
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned how to work with a good team and learned different jobs. My favourite part was getting to know new people in the hospital. I want to thank Letitia for working with me and being patient and fun to work with in Food Services, Darlene for making me be part of the team at Stores, and Kim in Endoscopy for being kind to me.” –Thomas Botbyl
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned to talk with my co-workers by saying hi and giving a fist pump. My favourite part was working in MDRD with all my co-workers. I want to thank my co-workers in EVS for helping me” -Yosef Salem
“At Project SEARCH I learned how to socialize with others, work independently and with co-workers. My favourite parts were working in three different departments and learning about all the different tasks, all the events that happened in the hospital (Snack cart, Christmas wear, RED Day, ice cream truck ect.) I want to thank Kim, Lana, and Alison for giving me the opportunity to be in this program, Nuclear Medicine for showing me how the heart scanner and bone density works, Letitia for helping me with jello and for letting me help her at the Food Belt line, the entire Stores department for teaching me so many tasks” -Alejandro Saavedra-Carias
“This year at Project SEARCH I learned how to do lots of different tasks in my departments. My favorite part was working in the lab with all the staff. I want to thank Tracy for helping me out in Diagnostic Imaging and all my coworkers”. -Bryan Doi
Learn About Project SEARCH:
Project SEARCH is a skill building employment based program for students ages 18-21 who have a developmental disability. It is a four-way partnership with KW Habilitation, Waterloo Catholic District School Board, St. Mary’s General Hospital and Project SEARCH.
At Project SEARCH, students have an opportunity to work in three internships at St Mary’s General Hospital throughout the school year to grow independence, innovate, and build skills. Students learn first-hand experience that teaches them skills that will help them to be successful in volunteerism or employment, upon graduation.
