Project SEARCH a safe place to thrive for graduates

Published on Monday, May 19, 2025

By: Danny Barrett Jr., dlbarrett@umc.edu

Photos By: Joe Ellis/ UMMC Communications

A group of Rankin County young adults with developmental disabilities found work, paid taxes and expressed themselves creatively, thanks to what their parents call a godsend.

Karliyion Price, 19, of Brandon, and Makenzie Westbrook 20, of Pearl, are two of those seven with work experience and a whole lot more after completing Project SEARCH, a partnership between UMMC and community partners for high school students with challenges related to living with developmental disabilities once thought to be insurmountable by their families, including autism spectrum disorder.

“I’ve watched him grow into the young man he is now,” said Sherell Easterling, Price’s grandmother. “Project SEARCH has been a saving grace. They have changed him for the better. He talks with people a little more now. I’ve told him I want him to be the very best version of himself as he can be. I want him to experience what the rest of us experience and grow to do things on his own.”

For Alicia Bethany, her daughter, Makenzie, is a completely different person now versus when she began the program earlier this year.

“She was always nervous and had a lot of anxiety,” Bethany said. “She always felt different. But, it’s day and night now that she’s completed the program. She is able to focus more often now and realizes what she needs to do and advocate for herself and make it in the world. And they gave me the direction to help her in turn follow a direction.”

This year’s seven participants were honored as graduates during a ceremony May 16 where the pomp and circumstance was replaced by a thumping bass groove and the thunderous applause from their families. The occasion marked their final year of high school and ended with a certificate to show they completed the nine-month program of classroom instruction and job skills training. The goal is to give teens and young adults with developmental disabilities a chance to achieve self-sufficiency.

UMMC is among 28 Mississippi sites that host programs, which began at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996 and now stands at more than 750 in the U.S and internationally. The school-to-work transition program for students with disabilities provides real-life work experiences with the outcome of competitive, integrated employment.

Locally, the Medical Center partners with the Rankin County School District, Pearl Public School District and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services to give students hands-on training. The program at UMMC is now in its seventh year.

“Today is more than just a graduation,” said Christina Guarino, lead instructor for UMMC’s program for the Rankin County School District. “It’s a recognition of growth, perseverance and the bright future that lies ahead for each of these young adults.”

She said graduates worked hard, showed up consistently and stepped outside their comfort zones. “You’ve learned real-world skills, faced challenges with courage and grown both personally and professionally. Today, we honor your journey,” Guarino said.

Price, who graduated from Northwest Rankin High School, was hired part-time by Aramark in the kitchen at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants. Westbrook, who graduated from Pearl High School, was hired full-time by the Mississippi State Hospital in laundry services.

Each noted the rewards of the workforce and the confidence it brought to them.

“I trained in laundry services here and then got a job at the state hospital,” Westbrook said, adding she had already earned more than six hours of leave time at her position.

Price did rotations in shipping and receiving at UMMC, then worked with crews at Aramark’s foodservices at Wiser.

“In shipping and receiving, I helped deliver boxes wherever they needed to go,” he said. “At Wiser, I break down carts, running dishes, all that stuff….and make a lot of good money!”

Successful applicants in Project SEARCH move forward in the program by learning the soft skills of employability, independent living skills, teamwork, financial literacy, health and wellness, technology, self-advocacy, social interactions with others and how to prepare and maintain employment. Participants may have a baseline certificate of completion from their schools, though many do have either a traditional or alternative diploma upon gaining their training with the program.  

“In health care, we are unique because we are like a city,” said Sara Gleason, assistant vice chancellor for clinical affairs and interim business liaison for Project SEARCH. “We are not just one business – we are multiple businesses. We thank all of our host departments and entities. I am a parent of a graduate of the program at another health care organization. I am so proud of these graduates.”

Joining Price and Westbrook as graduates of the program for the 2024-25 school year were Daniel Dunn, 19, of Brandon, hired full-time by the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy as a maintenance assistant; Bradon Holliday, 19, of Brandon, hired full-time at the Mississippi State Hospital in foodservice; Austin Martin, 20, of Pearl, hired part-time with HHS housekeeping at Children’s of Mississippi; Andrayiah McGaughy, 20, of Pearl, who interned with foodservice operations, Volunteer Services and Ambassador Services at UMMC; and Erin Sarrett, 20, of Pearl, hired full-time with Ambassador Services.

“What I liked about Project SEARCH is how Miss Christina and how Miss Jasmine (Lee, a teaching assistant and job skills trainer in the program) got me to be my best self and so much more,” McGaughy said.

The program isn’t just a skills-builder, but a safe place and space to grow emotionally – if Holliday’s post-certificate remarks are any indicator.

“Not only do they push you out of your comfort zone, but they make you feel you are welcome in the community and that you are safe where you are,” said Holliday, an intern in Volunteer Services, Shipping and Receiving and foodservice at UMMC who seemed to grow more confident with every word. “They make you stand up tall and make great connections with other people. We appreciate everything you guys have done. We’ll continue to strive to make our future bright for everyone.”