Ruby Memorial welcomes third class of Project SEARCH interns

With shaking poms-poms and shouts of encouragement, WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital welcomed the third class of Project SEARCH interns yesterday (Aug. 29).

Project SEARCH is an internship experience for students with mild and moderate special needs. The program was first established at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996, and Ruby Memorial Hospital is the first Project SEARCH site in the state.

Project SEARCH is coordinated and hosted by WVU Medicine and supported by the West Virginia Department of Education. Together, in partnership with other community organizations, they create a one-year immersion experience that combines classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations. Participating community organizations include the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities; West Virginia University; West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services; local school systems in Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties; PACE Enterprises; Mitsubishi Electric Foundation; and Fairmont Disability Action Center.

These interns will spend the year at Ruby, where they will rotate through a number of job roles. Project SEARCH serves as the student interns’ capstone educational experience and often leads to employment once the internships are complete.

Pictured below, top photo, is this year’s class. First row, left to right: Americus Bunnell, Travis Stone, Ryan Wolfe, Jada Johnson, Katelyn Conard, Liberty Bunnell. Back row, left to right: Jack Antonik, Jacob Geiger, Ethan Copenhaver, Jake Riddle.

In the bottom photo, the students make their way through a hallway at Ruby to the cheers and greetings from employees.