I would like to share the exciting news about our two Project SEARCH completion ceremonies that we held in June. This year, we had 12 interns successfully complete Project SEARCH at the Milwaukee County Zoo and another six interns who completed Project SEARCH at General Mitchell International Airport — it was our first year of Project SEARCH at the Airport!
The Project SEARCH completion ceremonies are always an important and special event for me to help organize and attend each year. I love to see the interns on their first day of Project SEARCH and watch as they gain independence, build their skills and confidence and have the experience of a lifetime – working at the Zoo or at the Airport (it’s pretty cool for the interns to have the opportunity to have a behind the scenes experience at each of these unique locations).
The year goes by fast so it’s fun to see the interns highlight their experiences in a video presentation at the end of the year. Some of the interns are able to share their videos at the ceremony. What’s even more fun to see is them achieve their goals of community employment! Many of the interns are now working in their new jobs and loving it! Seeing them in their new jobs, enjoying every second of working in the community, is what energizes me about my job and the work that my team and I do each day!
Anthony was one of our interns who participated in the Airport program. He is now employed at two airport vendors: Eulen and Quantum! For Eulen, Anthony cleans and maintains various Delta areas throughout the airport. Anthony changes the trash bins in the Delta Sky Lounge where he and his family have been members for years. A coworker found purple gloves for him — his favorite color. It’s exciting to see him in a job he loves, even if he works on the weekends. Anthony’s second job with Quantum has him on the tarmac every week night unloading packages from airplanes.
If you have met or know Anthony, being in an Airport and working around airplanes is his dream job! Anthony said to his Job Coach, “I’m living the dream of coming to the airport for work every single day! My favorite part is taking my cart out on the tarmac.”
Next month, I will highlight where some of our other interns are working and share the excitement surrounding the start-up of our new Project SEARCH cohorts at the Zoo and Airport!
