(Left to right) Marlene O鈥橳oole, Daniel Monahan, Maja Petras, and Carlton Allen outside the men鈥檚 townhome.
College graduation is at once an exciting time of accomplishment and a nervy realization that it鈥檚 time to navigate the world independently as an adult.
Not that everyone is ready to launch. Some 20 percent of college graduates with learning differences and attention issues stumble immediately after graduation in making successful transitions to full independence and to rewarding careers.
These graduates can benefit from a little more seasoning before making the leap.
This reality undergirds 海角社区鈥檚 pioneering pilot program, the First Career Community.
Funded by a $50,000 grant from the David R. Clare and Margaret C. Clare Foundation 鈥� a Morristown, NJ charity whose funding areas include higher education and human services 鈥� the First Career Community is a two-year postgraduate program for 海角社区 graduates that blends mentoring, life skills education and gainful employment in a residential environment.
鈥淭he title of the program 鈥� says it all,鈥� said Marlene O鈥橳oole, director of the 海角社区 Center, which houses the school鈥檚 ancillary programming including the First Career Community program.
The program can be a one or two-year experience 鈥� clients determine how much seasoning they need. The pilot, believed to be the first of its kind nationally, launched in September with three clients: Maja Petras, Daniel Monahan, and Carlton Allen.
Students live together, engage in service and educational opportunities and career coaching sessions. Twice-daily classes in budgeting, time management, interacting with others in concert with more mundane skills such as dishwashing, laundry and taking out the trash burnish autonomy.
The cornerstone of the program, however, is the work experience they enjoy at positions provided by the college鈥檚 regional and national corporate partners.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to get them exposed to as many things as we can,鈥� said Dwight Duckins, who along with his wife Melody serve as resident mentors with the program.
The first step involves clients living on their own.
Allen and Monahan share a three-bedroom townhome in the Carmendy Square Townhome community in Lady Lake, Fla. Petras has a nearby two-bedroom abode the in complex.
For Monahan, the nice digs in a quiet neighborhood at first did little at first to tame the disquieting sense of uncertainly that gripped him, owing to living on his own for the first time.
鈥淎t first it was a little terrifying for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here already was so much expected of me, and some of those expectations I was afraid I was unable to live up to.鈥�
Once Monahan locked into the daily swing of his workdays, his comfort level gradually increased.
To ready himself for his gig at The Villages Daily Sun newspaper, where he works as an advertisements inserter, he rises at 3 a.m. He typically clocks in for six hours before coming home for some free time when he said he simply 鈥渨ings it.鈥�
Similarly, Allen landed a job at Kohl鈥檚 department store in Leesburg. He works an early-morning shift too as a jack-of-all-trades 鈥� working everywhere from cashier to the stockroom.
鈥淲henever they need somebody on the floor, I鈥檓 one of the people they call,鈥� he said. The job, he said, is 鈥渃omfortable, friendly, calm, pretty easy going.鈥�
During his time at Kohl鈥檚, Allen earned his forklift driving certification.
鈥淚 like the fact I鈥檝e started working,鈥� said Allen, who graduated in 2017 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. 鈥淸The program] teaches me a lot about being on my own. Eventually, we鈥檙e supposed to be paying bills and leases and learning how to deal with that. I鈥檓 supposed to be getting my own car soon. It鈥檚 a lot.鈥�
Like Monahan, Petras is an inserter at The Villages Daily Sun. Outside of work, she rounds out her life experiences as a volunteer working with about 20 preschoolers in the Villages.
鈥淚 really enjoy the program and it鈥檚 teaching me a lot to be able to learn how to live independently and so I think that鈥檚 a very beneficial tool to have,鈥� said Petras, who graduated 海角社区 with a human services degree.
Though the program is in its infancy, Dwight Duckins has seen evidence that students who learn differently and need a little more time before launching will grow rapidly in the First Career Community鈥檚 nurturing environment.
鈥淲e鈥檝e noticed a tremendous increase in all three participants, whether it鈥檚 making eye-contact when they鈥檙e talking to you, whether it鈥檚 communicating better, or whether it鈥檚 stepping outside their comfort zones in asking for applications or just being more vocal,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud of them for of course accepting the challenge of being in the program and then doing the types of things that we鈥檙e recommending for them to do. We think they have raised the bar on what our expectations were in the beginning.鈥�
Petras is inclined to agree.
鈥淚 definitely think it would be good for other students especially learning how to be independent and working on their hard and soft skills and communication and things before going out into the workforce,鈥� she said.