It’s been a joy-filled week here at CIS, where we’re celebrating the graduating classes of our Philadelphia-based Project SEARCH and Project Career Launch programs.

Today we kick things off with a toast to the “great eight” graduating this year from Project SEARCH at Drexel.

“We have so much to be celebrating today,” said Jackie Abrams, Assistant Project Director of Transition Pathways at Drexel. “Particularly how extraordinary the students and staff and families have been this past year.”

Project SEARCH provides job training and real-life work experience to high schoolers with disabilities, and this group graduates equipped for a bright future. Three of them have already been hired in positions at a local fitness center, at a home improvement store, and at Lowe’s Garden Center, and the rest have job interviews set up for this week and next.

Cheers and congratulations to Angel, Harold, Gregory, Jonathan, Sean, Zechariah, Jared, and Noah, and endless appreciation for the incredible work of our partners at The A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, The School District of Philadelphia, Hill Freedman World Academy, the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the PADHS’ Division of Intellectual Disability Services.

Stay tuned for more news and photos from this week’s PS and PCL graduations!