Semayah, a resident of Lowell house and Orchard Village since 2016, has made great strides in reaching her goals.
Lowell house is one of Orchard Village’s 10 residential homes. Residential homes, also known as CILAs (Community Integrated Living Arrangements), are supervised 24 hours a day by trained staff who support residents’ everyday needs. Individuals work toward achieving their own personal goals.
Also a participant in our InnOVations program, Semayah has been working hard during her internships. InnOVations is our skills-building day program that focuses on training individuals for real paid jobs in the community. Garrett Reynolds, InnOVations Job Coach, says “Semayah has been a joy to work with! From the beginning she has worked hard to obtain her goal of getting a meaningful job!” Semayah is thrilled to announce that she just started a job at Shake Shake Shack! Dan Vishny, Semayah’s Vocational Specialist, says that this is Semayah’s first paid job after having volunteered and worked internships during her time in the InnOVations program. Her time in those positions “has been good experience as a springboard to Shake Shack.”
Ashley Russell, the Residential Program Manager for Lowell house, says that Semayah is “truly self-motivated and driven. She has written so many personal goals to achieve for 2019. We are all very proud of her.”