On Friday we spotlighted CIS’s array of school-to-work transition programs, and today we’re excited to forefront one in particular, our Project SEARCH program at Aramark!

The featured picture is from our PS Aramark Alumni gathering! Quickly becoming a fall tradition, it brings back program graduates to share advice and words of wisdom with the new batch of interns, who are just getting underway in a range of internship roles at Girard College and at Aramark headquarters.

“It was a great chance for all of our interns to come together, share their experiences, and create new connections,” said our own Rachel Gregory, a Project SEARCH Skills Trainer who helps direct and run the PS Aramark program.

CIS school-to-work transition programs like Project SEARCH help students with disabilities transition into employment, and the Aramark program is a testament to their efficacy: In the last two years, 12 graduates have been hired within the Aramark community in Philadelphia, including at the Philadelphia Zoo, Aramark headquarters, Girard College, and Temple University.

Two standouts from that group are Zaire and Amiracle. Zaire was the first ever intern at the cafe at Aramark headquarters, and did such a great job that he was hired at the end of his internship.

It’s a similar story for Amiracle, who so impressed her managers during her internship at Girard College that they asked her to stay on as an official employee. Not only is Amiracle doing an awesome job at work, but she always takes the time to give a warm welcome to the new Project SEARCH interns working at the college and is a real-life example of what they can achieve through hard work.

We’re excited for our interns for the valuable work experience they’ll get in the year to come, and exceedingly grateful to our Project SEARCH staff, who are truly the life of these life-changing programs