15-05-2025
Science Hill students complete yearlong Project SEARCH internship
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — After a yearlong internship at Niswonger Children's Hospital, five Science Hill High School students are ready for the workforce.
Project SEARCH is a one-year internship program designed for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides comprehensive training in job and soft skills through complete workplace immersion and personalized job-search assistance.
'We have five students that are graduating this year from Science Hill that have been involved in our first cohort Project Search, and to say what an amazing journey it has been is an understatement; it has truly been amazing to watch these kids grow both professionally and personally,' Tara Chadwell, Johnson City Medical Center associate administrator, said.
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During their internship, students learned in various departments, including environmental, food services, child life, and engineering, while also volunteering for additional needs.
'These team members are getting the chance to go through different internships, if you want to call it small sections of time throughout their year of being here at JCMC, that they get to experience all kinds of different departments and learn and grow at the same time,' Chadwell said.
Carlos, one of the students, developed important independence skills and even brought home his first paycheck.
'From seeing him in the classroom at Science Hill and then being able to come here and just watch his independence grow, his responsibility grow, and to just watch him gain these employment skills and now to have full-time employment has just been an amazing journey to watch,' Christy Henegar, Science Hill High School assistant principal.
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