Inside a cluster of portable classrooms behind Rowena Chess Elementary in Pasco, nearly 40 young adults are seeking a chance to demonstrate the skills they can bring to the workplace.

The students, between the ages of 18 and 22, arrive at Pasco School District’s Transition Center daily, honing skills ranging from financial literacy and meal prep to how to advocate for themselves.

But for some students, the best part of the day is when they get to head to work.

“I’m living my best life here at Kadlec Food,” Selah Miller said in a statement about her job at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. “I love work!”

“It feels pretty fun working as a barista,” said Jeremiah Ramthun, who works at Coffee Crush in Pasco.

“I like to work at Kadlec because I get to do new things,” Emilio Garcia Almazan said about his role stocking bottled and canned beverages and helping in the cafeteria.

Staff at the transition center want to showcase their students’ enthusiasm and capability to show employers and families alike that those with special needs can become reliable employees and achieve independence.

“This population of young adults has been frequently left behind and not allowed to develop those skills to be workers,” Director Sara Sorensen Petersen told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, adding she just wants to “get in the door” to work with potential partnering employers.

Emilio Garcia Almazan, 20, works in the cafeteria at Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Almazan is one of several students from Pasco School District’s Transition Center who work for participating employers to gain hands-on workplace skills and work toward greater independence. 

| Courtesy Pasco School District

Additional support

The transition center launched in the fall of 2023. All the students who attend have received special education services and completed their graduation requirements but perhaps still need some support to fully move into adulthood.

“This is a whole other chapter. They are starting a whole new chapter just like when they were young starting school,” Sorensen Petersen said.

Classroom instruction makes up part of each student’s day, with lessons covering skills needed for living and working independently. But the hands-on learning that jobs with partnering employers provide are the highlight for many.

“They look forward to going,” said teacher Cathy Desgranges-Burnes. “When they come back, they love to share their experiences.”

Nearly 30 employers from across the Tri-Cities have signed on with the transition center. Beyond food service, they provide roles in industries such as retail, public services, personal fitness and education.

All students have supervision from a teacher while on the job based on their ability, a feature that also supports employers.

“We want success, and whatever it takes to get that success, we’ll provide it,” Sorensen Petersen said.

Selah Miller, 19, smiles while on duty in Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s nutrition services department, where she helps with food prep. 

| Courtesy Pasco School District

Finding employers

Transition center staff work with families who are reluctant to have their adult children take jobs in the community.

Sorensen Petersen said she understands the anxiety some families may feel, as some are concerned that employment could affect their government aid. However, there are ways to manage this while allowing students to flourish.

But even with success stories such as Miller, Ramthun and Garcia Almazan, transition center staff said it remains challenging to recruit new employers into the program.

“I think they underestimate the abilities of our students,” Desgranges-Burnes said.

Sorensen Petersen said there’s lots of data showing that differently-abled workers bring plenty of benefits to the workplace, particularly reliability and loyalty. That’s especially true for jobs that excite her students, many of whom would like to try out jobs in industries such as logistics, manufacturing or clerical work.

Sorensen Petersen is currently conducting a series of trainings for employers interested in learning how they could bring one of the transition center’s students into the workplace, with the next session set for 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 2.

“I want to alleviate some of those employer concerns,” she said.

Until then, she and her fellow educators will continue to support their students, who, like Ramthun, will continue to make the most of each day they have in their workplaces: “What I really love about Coffee Crush is getting to meet new people that come in. I’m learning a lot of new skills there,” he said.

Go to: psd1.org/departments/k-12-education-supports/special-services/pasco-transition-center.