TUPELO, Mississippi—Tyler Thompson of Saltillo recently became the 16^th local graduate of Project SEARCH after completing a year-long internship at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.

Representatives from Tupelo and Lee County school districts, NMMC and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services gathered for a celebration May 12 in Tyler’s honor.

Project SEARCH is a national program designed to help students with disabilities obtain competitive community-based employment. Students rotate through different areas of interest at the hospital while gaining social, communication and life skills.

During Tyler’s classroom experience this year, he learned about building a resume, interviewing for jobs, budgeting, banking and other life skills. He completed internships in NMMC’s Centralized Monitoring Department; Supply, Processing and Distribution; and Emergency Services.

“When Tyler came to the high school as a ninth grader in 2016, he was quiet, yet inquisitive,” said Marla Adams, a special education teacher at Saltillo High School who has taught Tyler for the past seven years.

Adams told about a school-based business, a coffee shop, that she and her students started at SHS several years ago. “When we first started this vocational venture, Tyler did not take initiative and required a lot of prompting to get things done. He wanted to do his job and only his job and was not much for being cooperative and working with others,” she said. “Over the course of the next two years, Tyler grew. He expanded his skills and became dependable.  He developed a work ethic, leadership skills, became more adaptable to situations and even communicated more.  He became a team player... All of these behaviors made him a candidate for Project SEARCH.”

Adams noted several ways the program has helped Tyler become more independent: navigating the hospital on his own, learning to operate a pallet jack, answering the phone and speaking to groups about Project SEARCH. “Never in a million years would I have thought he would grow this much in a year’s time,” she said. “I am so proud of all the accomplishments, but I think the thing that makes me the most proud is how Tyler has learned to advocate for himself and for a job that he is most interested in having in the future.”

Tyler’s mother, Jamie Thompson, echoed these sentiments. “Tyler has tried a lot of new things,” she said. “This place has made it possible. We just have to give these children opportunity.”

During the graduation ceremony, David Wilson, president of NMMC-Tupelo and chief operating officer for North Mississippi Health Services, noted that three past Project SEARCH graduates gained full-time employment at NMMC after high school and continue to work at the hospital. “This program has been beneficial for students, but it has also been equally enlightening and uplifting for us at NMMC,” he added. Project SEARCH North Mississippi will welcome seven new students in August.

“North Mississippi Medical Center gets an A+,” said Chris Howard, executive director of Mississippi Department of Rehabilitative Services. “You have opened up your hospital and made them feel part of the team while providing job experiences.”

Organizers thanked Susan Dudley, Project SEARCH instructor, for her commitment to the program. Dudley is retiring after 41 years in education, 25 of those with Tupelo Public School District.

Project SEARCH has 18 locations throughout Mississippi. In addition to Tupelo and Lee County schools, North Mississippi participants include Nettleton School District and Pontotoc County School District.