The OPE Blog

Project SEARCH Interns Visit White House

Posted by Rayna Aylward on December 19, 2011 at 12:20 PM EDT

Twenty-five D.C. high school students – along with their teachers and job coaches -- got a special treat on December 13^, when they met with Presidential Advisor Kareem Dale and toured the White House in all its holiday trim.

The students are participants in Project SEARCH, an award-winning internship program for youth with developmental disabilities that transitions them from school to work. The students spend their final year of high school in a workplace, where they divide their time between classroom study and work-based learning, with the goal of ending the year ready for full-time employment.

The Department of Labor was the first federal agency to host Project SEARCH in 2009. DOL has been joined by four other agencies: the Departments of Education, Health & Human Services, Interior, and the National Institutes of Health. Twenty-eight students from the federal programs had a graduation ceremony at DoE in June, and a number of them are now employed.

During their meeting with Kareem, the students from this year’s class asked questions ranging from what’s a typical day for President Obama to why it’s so difficult to find a job. Kareem shared the story of how he met the President, back when Kareem was a law student and President Obama was a state senator.

Highlights of the tour included seeing the reception and dining rooms, decorated with historic ornaments and a giant gingerbread White House. One of the teachers, who uses a wheelchair and was able to ride in the Presidential elevator, got a glimpse of the First Dog Bo.

The students agreed that it was one of the most exciting days of their lives.