Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network's Project SEARCH program held its graduation ceremony June 13, at the Conrad W. Raker Center, Allentown. Eight Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network interns and four Lehigh County interns were honored, among them a Catasauqua resident.

Project SEARCH helps students with disabilities learn soft skills and self-advocacy skills needed for the job marketplace. The nine-month program places the students in various jobs at Good Shepherd and provides the participants with real-world experiences and the skills they need to become valued employees.

Last fall, a Project SEARCH program was also initiated in by Lehigh County. These interns worked at the Lehigh County government building, Lehigh Valley Zoo and Cedarbrook Nursing Home.

This year's Good Shepherd graduates are: Rebekah Adelman of Emmaus, Christopher Beamer of Center Valley, Sewar Hadid of Whitehall, Nick Lacko of Allentown, Jennifer Larimer of Macungie, Christopher Nickerson of Emmaus, Alexa Reiner of Center Valley and Luisa Torres of Catasauqua.

Lehigh County graduates are Briana Hall of Allentown, Sara McCarry of Orefield, Andre Walck of Emmaus and Dylan Zandarski of Allentown.

Four of this year's Good Shepherd graduates have already secured employment. Among them is Luisa Torres of Catasauqua. Project SEARCH has taught Luisa the skills to manage her disability and shown her how to access community supports that will help her be successful as an adult.

"Luisa grew up in a small town, which was the only world she knew. She was a timid and shy young lady," said Danielle Roland, Project SEARCH Coordinator, CLIU 21. "By learning how to self-advocate and manage her own needs, including accessing public transportation, she has embraced her community, traveling independently to and from work and to appointments. She loves the new life she has created for herself. "

Working with mentors on the Good Shepherd staff, she also learned to meet employer standards and has been hired by Goodwill Keystone Area to work at Kraft Foods as a housekeeper.

Two of this year's Good Shepherd Project SEARCH graduates are working at Cedarbrook Nursing Home in Bethlehem as hospitality aides and another one is working for Goodwill Keystone Area at Kraft Foods. Good Shepherd is the first Project SEARCH site in the state.

The program is a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Lehigh County and the Office of Intellectual Disabilities, Lehigh County.