WVU Medicine welcomes Project SEARCH interns from Marion, Mon, Preston, and Taylor counties
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital welcomed its fifth class of Project SEARCH interns Monday (Aug. 26).
pose for a group photo on their first day
on the WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial
Hospital campus.
Front row (left to right):
Chelby Yost, Nicole Biszantz, and Laura
Smouse Second row (left to right): Jenna
Austin, Emily Vandegrift, Hannah
Karinshak, Haley Dulin, and Shakira
Koontz Back row (left to right): Nash
Naun, Neal Dalton,and Ashley Vandegrift
Project SEARCH is an internship experience for students, in their last year of high school eligibility, and young adults with mild and moderate disabilities, that was first established at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996. J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital is proud to be the first Project SEARCH location in West Virginia.
This year’s intern class includes:
- Marion County – Nicole Biszantz, Neal Dalton, and Chelby Yost
- Monongalia County – Haley Dulin, Nash Naun, Hannah Karinshak, Ashley Vandegrift, and Emily Vandegrift
- Preston County – Laura Smouse
- Taylor County – Jenna Austin and Shakira Koontz
The interns will rotate through various job roles in the hospital throughout the year and obtain CPR/first aid, Stop the Bleed®, and food handler certifications before graduating the program. Project SEARCH often leads to employment once the internships are complete.
Project SEARCH is coordinated and hosted by WVU Hospitals and supported by:
- the West Virginia Department of Education;
- the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities;
- West Virginia University;
- the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services;
- local school systems in Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties;
- PACE Enterprises;
- the Mitsubishi Electric Foundation; and
- Bright Horizons Childcare Development Center.
To date, this program has successfully graduated 25 interns with 22 of them heading into the workforce after the program.
“We are proud of the continued success of the program,” Kimberly Hartsell, director of Volunteer Services and Project SEARCH business liaison, said. “To have made it to our fifth year is a testament to the dedication of WVU Hospitals and the strength of our partnerships. I’m excited to see what our interns will accomplish this year.”
For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.
For media inquiries: Nichole Mosley, Senior Public Relations and Marketing Strategist, 304-285-7263 - [email protected]