Sydney’s Time To Shine

Transitioning from campus classroom to On the Job Training (OJT) may put an extra demand on a student to disclose their disability and possibly request new accommodations that they have not had before. However, when you have a student like Sydney, you will be amazed at how “baby steps” can change all that.

Sydney joined the Youth Transition Program with employU in 2018 when she was just a junior in high school. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, she is unable to use her right hand and walks with a slight limp. However, despite her disability, Sydney has learned how to make adjustments and overcome challenges. When meeting Sydney for the first time it is apparent that she is extremely shy. She is also incredibly sweet, smart, beautiful inside and out, and has a contagious smile.

Sydney has had a colorful variety of OJT’s including an office assistant at a cemetery, food prep at Longhorn Restaurant and Jon Smith’s Sub, and a sales-floor team member at Marshall’s. With each job site, there was a notable improvement in confidence and security. It was not until after her last OJT at Marshall’s that the need arose to challenge her even further. By this time, Sydney had graduated high school and had been attending Indian River State College as an English Major. Her dream is to become a scriptwriter for Disney.

Sydney is currently on her second OJT at Capture ISG where she is writing creative content for their online media outlets. This position came after she had been trained as a Coder. Capture has come to love Sydney and has been accommodating her every need for success. Over time, Sydney has become more comfortable and confident in her work as well as her personal life.  

This is Sydney’s turn to shine! She has come a long way on this journey and we cannot wait to see where her next adventure will bring her. In the meantime, she will continue to quench her thirst for knowledge, grow as an individual, enjoy reading and writing fiction, and tackle any challenge that comes her way.