Every year since 2016, Texas Children’s has welcomed a new group of young adults with disabilities as interns across different areas of the hospital to help them learn valuable skills to gain employment at Texas Children’s or other organizations. This internship program is through Texas Children’s Health Plan’s partnership with Project SEARCH.
For the first time, our interns successfully completed Family & Friends CPR training, thanks to our Texas Children’s CPR Educators Gayle Young, Ronda LeBlanc, Joie Nagal and Heather Morand-Reid.
“This milestone reflects our commitment to equipping interns with life-saving skills and preparing them for real-world responsibilities. Interns were enthusiastic, engaged and proud throughout the training—it was truly heartwarming to witness,” said Shamera Beckham, education and training coordinator and Project SEARCH business liaison.
The interns were excited and grateful to learn these valuable, new skills:
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“To me, I’m proud to know the ins and outs of CPR and I can handle a situation when someone collapses,” said Diego Ordonez.
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“Now that I’m CPR trained, I can save my family and friends life if they become unconscious,” said Lillian Escalante.
Below are this year’s interns and their assigned departments.
|
Intern Name |
Department |
|
Payton Archer |
Concierge Host (TCHP) |
|
Cristina Ibarra |
Executive Assistants (TCHP) |
|
Kerwin Fleming |
Claims Department (TCHP) |
|
Lillian Escalante |
Supply Chain (TCH) |
|
Diego Ordonez |
Supply Chain (TCH) |
|
Jose Villanueva |
Supply Chain (TCH) |
|
Jacquelyne Oropeza |
Patient Transportation (TCH) |
|
Demond Poledore |
Environmental Services (Legacy Tower) |
|
Traniece Thompson |
Lori’s Gift Shops (PFW) |
About Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH is a nationally recognized internship program that supports young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their transition from school to work. Through immersive, hands-on training in TCHP/TCH departments, interns develop marketable job skills, increase independence, and prepare for competitive employment. Hosted by Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) since 2016, the program has grown to include multiple Texas Children’s locations. Interns participate in a full academic year of training, completing three 10-week rotations in different departments to explore career paths and build workplace competencies.
The current cohort began their first rotation on Monday, September 8, and will continue rotating throughout the year. The ultimate goal of Project SEARCH is employment: interns are supported in finding jobs that align with their strengths, interests, and career aspirations.
Program Impact
In July of 2025, TCHP was recognized for “Excellence in Outcomes” at the Project SEARCH National Conference (July 2025) for meeting the outcomes goal during the 2023–2024 school year.
Interested in Hosting an Intern?
If your department is interested in hosting an intern, contact Shamera Beckham at slbeckha@texaschildrens.org.
