Eight students from Lake Travis ISD and Eanes ISD will spend the school year at Lakeway Regional Medical Center receiving job coaching and building vocational skills. The students—five from LTISD and three from EISD—have joined a national, unpaid internship program called Project SEARCH, which is designed for disabled high school students who are at least 18 years old and are looking to transition into adult working life. On Aug. 10, the students had their first orientation for the program’s launch at LRMC, where they were welcomed by LRMC CEO Philippe Bochaton. “We’re going to keep [the interns] busy and give them a lot of opportunities to discover the world of healthcare,” he said. “We’re excited to be a partner and give them their first experience of the real world. A hospital is a perfect setting for this experience.” Laura Abbott, LTISD’s director of special services, said the students will rotate through three departments at the hospital—culinary, environmental services and materials management. The internship will follow the LTISD school year schedule. [g-slider gid="169858" width="100%" height="55%"] The partnership also includes Easterseals—who will work with the interns to provide job coaching and support throughout the year, as well as assistance with job placements after graduation—and the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, or DARS, which provides funding for the program and helps place students in permanent jobs after the internship ends. The superintendents from the two participating districts, along with representatives from Easterseals, Project SEARCH and DARS, were also at the program launch. LTISD Superintendent Brad Lancaster said he sees LTISD participating in the program for years to come. “It’s an easy decision [to launch Project SEARCH],” he said. “This is an incredible experience [for the students].” Telle Tully, whose 20-year-old son Scott is one of the interns from LTISD, said he and his family were grateful for Project SEARCH. “We think it’s a tremendous opportunity to teach new skills, interact with new people and get some new training in a new business environment,” he said.