AUSTIN, Texas -- A Central Texas teen, along with hundreds before her, have been given a chance for a better life; thanks to an internship program geared towards people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Aleisha Williams dreamt of working in the healthcare industry, but hard times hit and she had to help support her family by taking a job at Walmart.
"All my life, I've worked. I was always tired, and I couldn't. I fell asleep in class a lot," she said.
Working as a full-time student has its own set of challenges, even more so with limited abilities.
"You know, growing up being a little slower than others, I wasn't able to do as much. I couldn't help my family as much as I wanted to," said Williams.
But she was not one to give up. She applied for Seton's Project SEARCH, an internship that prepares people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for healthcare jobs.
"We've committed to train them within our hospitals throughout Texas so that when they're done with high school, they're able to be employed," said Seton Healthcare Family’s Christann Vasquez.
For eight months, interns rotate to see which department interests them. Once they've made their pick, they'll focus on learning the skills required to perform the job.
"We have some folks in our patient access area and we have some people working in materials management," said Vasquez.
Over the last decade, Project SEARCH has helped 158 people. Hospital officials say 90-percent of their interns graduate with job offers. Williams was one of them.
"I got hired on to the [Clinical Education Center] and now I can help my family out more. I don't see my mom stressing out anymore," she said.
About 400 hospital organizations nationwide have a similar program. Project SEARCH operates at five Seton facilities in Austin, Hays and Williamson Counties.