On the Job: Project SEARCH

During post-secondary, students have the opportunity to join Project SEARCH, a separate program that offers students a full-time paid internship program primarily hosted at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

To get into the program, Lang, a Post-Secondary teacher and the head of Project SEARCH, said students must go through an application process.

“If they’re motivated, they’ve demonstrated the drive to make it out there on their own through their work over the last couple of years, that’s all we’re looking for,” Lang said.

Hall said the hospital internship allows students to learn a variety of tasks with the help of job coaches.

“The goal is for students to become independent with these job skills so that they’re able to get jobs on their own after they leave the program,” Hall said.

Not all students intern at the hospital, however. Amy Qing, a student at Project SEARCH, worked in food service.

“The first time I tried to do the food service … I didn’t know how to do it,” Qing said. “I’m hoping that I will continue to build my confidence (and) challenge myself more and more.”