Two Belmont High School students found that their paid summer internships at Adams Woodcrest became ways to explore hospitality, retail service and providing help, conversation and companionship to residents. The summer’s work also gave them an opportunity to overcome obstacles and emerge better prepared for future jobs.
Liahana and Jonathan are participants in Easterseals Northeast Indiana’s Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Their work at Woodcrest in Decatur was the result of the Adams Health Foundation collaborating with Easterseals to offer new internships.
“I got to learn new things,” Liahana said. A simple example from her summer is learning to play dominoes, which she later taught other people at Woodcrest.
Guidance from an Easterseals Job Coach
The broader goal for the students was more complicated than learning dominoes.
Emily Markowski, the Easterseals job coach who helped guide them in their Woodcrest internships, said an important objective in the internships was putting the students in work situations that required them to introduce themselves and interact with people.
“Both really grew through this,” Markowski said. Both had to work to overcome shyness and anxiety and made great progress.
Liahana noted that kind of socializing doesn’t come easily or naturally for her. But she and Jonathan tackled the new challenges.
Building Skills and Confidence Through Work Experience
The two students had quite a variety of experiences over the course of the summer. They assisted residents both at Woodcrest and on small outings. They refilled pitchers of water in residents’ rooms, served them coffee in dining areas, and aided them on shopping trips. They learned about the restrictions of medical privacy laws. They worked in the gift shop and in registration at Adams Memorial Hospital, near Woodcrest.
Jonathan and Liahana were two among about 70 students who were selected to participate in Pre-ETS work-based learning experiences, which included both paid internships and volunteer positions, with 21 different community partners in Adams, Allen, Wells and Whitley counties.
Preparing for Future Success
Deciding how to spend the money they earned at Woodcrest was a part of the learning experience, too. Liahana said she bought camping equipment. Jonathan invested in tools for what he hopes will become a career.
“It’s very complicated,” he said. “I want to be a storyteller, also a writer. I don’t want to do comics. I want to do video.”
He ended up buying a laptop and a drawing tablet with money he earned.
Community Support for Local Students
Kim Trombley, executive director of the Adams Health Foundation, helped develop the internships that Jonathan and Liahana landed.
“I think they brought conversation and also offered companionship,” she said. “They were very positive and eager to learn.”
“I really enjoyed that the participants in the program are from our county,” Trombley said. “They are from our county coming to have vocational education in our network.” Adams Memorial Hospital is one of the few independent county hospitals in the region.
Conclusion
Through the guidance of an Easterseals job coach and support from community partners, students like Liahana and Jonathan are gaining valuable workplace skills and confidence that will help them succeed in future careers.