CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For Caitlin Haggerty, the loads of laundry to sort through seems to never end.

“They just send it all in one,” Haggerty said. “One, one blue bin and it's kind of hard to do. You got to memorize what you're gonna put.”

What You Need To Know

  • Caitlin Haggerty is part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Exceptional Children extension program

  • This year, she was chosen to be a part of the Project Search internship program

  • The program pairs students with intellectual disabilities to internships throughout Novant Health

  • It gives students like Haggerty the ability to gain real-life job skills, while building their resumes

It's a never-ending task that Haggerty is more than excited to take on.

At 22, this is the first time Haggerty, who has an intellectual disability, has been able to secure an internship.

“I sent my resume and she's like, 'I got an opportunity for you,'” Haggerty said. “I want you to go down here and work with me. And I was like, 'Perfect, I'll see you Monday.'”

For the last few years, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Exceptional Chiildren’s extension program has partnered with Novant Health through a program called Project Search. The program helps exceptional children find a department within the hospital they can intern with, teaching them on-the-job life skills.

Paige Henderson oversees the program at the Matthews location.

“And the jobs that you guys will be applying for are competitive,” Henderson said to the students. “Meaning that they will be competing with the general population to get the job.”

Unlike other supported employment programs, Henderson says the Project Search internship aims to help the students, like Haggerty, learn the job skills to be able to gain independent employment.

“We really focus on transferable skills, those skills that can move from one industry to another,” Henderson said. “So we really, we work on pace and being thorough and time keeping and following directions and staying focused.”

While the program does help the students learn how to write a resume and cover letter and interview for jobs, Henderson says they also have high standards for the work they complete in their individual departments.

“They're treated like adults,” Henderson said. “They have high expectations placed on them, and they really strive to meet those expectations.”

With each day, Haggerty knows she’s learning valuable skills, while gaining the confidence she needs to enter the workforce on her own.

Each year the Project Search internship has eight students selected in both the Matthews and Huntersville Novant locations.