Domonic Comer looked forward to impressing potential employers at the fourth annual Coffee Connections event in February. This yearly job networking opportunity connected Project SEARCH interns like Comer with employers eager to hire individuals with disabilities.
At the event, Comer and nine other Project SEARCH interns displayed their skills, confidence and resumes while enjoying pastries and coffee at the El Paso Community Foundation.
“I wasn’t really nervous,” said Comer, a student at Eastlake High School. “I was keeping my composure. I know ways to deal with it. It’s breathing and calming down.”
Project SEARCH is an international program that prepares adult students with disabilities for competitive and integrated employment.
Since 2019, the Socorro Independent School District has collaborated with the Hospitals of Providence on Project SEARCH to provide students with yearlong internships. Interns acquire competitive, transferable, and marketable skills while also gaining independence, confidence, self-esteem, and maturity.
“We all here at Project SEARCH are here to work,” said Comer, who looked forward to impressing prospective employers at Coffee Connections with the job and social skills he has developed while interning as a prep tech in the cafeteria at The Hospitals of Providence East campus. “You do things like you get to work and build skills for working.”
Coffee Connections is one of several events hosted by Project SEARCH to help participants obtain competitive employment. In addition to the Community Foundation and The Hospitals at Providence, Project SEARCH collaborates with Workforce Solutions Borderplex and Empowering Hands.
Monica Gasca, SISD Project SEARCH instructor, said that interns spent an hour each morning participating in mock interviews and working on their resumes. They were also encouraged to practice at home with their parents.
“We can tell you every day how great they are, but until you actually hear from them how proud they are of all the skill sets that they've learned, you’ll know they're actually very qualified to work,” Gasca said.
SISD is the only school district in El Paso hosting an event like Coffee Connections. However, Gasca said that due to its success, other school districts affiliated with Project SEARCH are interested in replicating it.
Bruce Goolsby, community engagement officer at Raiz Federal Credit Union, spoke with the interns at Coffee Connections and collected their resumes, which he planned to forward to the human resources department.
Raiz has previously collaborated with Project SEARCH interns, teaching them about managing their budgets.
Goolsby emphasized that by giving the interns a chance, employers would see that they are qualified and capable of doing a good job.
“At RAIZ Federal Credit Union, we are looking for the next diamond in the rough, and we feel that these kids are going to be those diamonds in the rough,” Goolsby said.