JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Jeremy Dean inducted seven Westmont Hilltop Elementary School autism support students on Tuesday to the Hiram G. Andrews Center’s interstellar “Star Fleet.”
“I pledge to have fun, learn something about myself and explore the universe,” the students said in unison while raising their hands into the air.
They were among 400 students from across western Pennsylvania, from elementary school through high school, who attended a space-themed Autism Awareness and Acceptance Walk at the Upper Yoder Township campus.
The event introduced them to science and technology careers – and to the Hiram G. Andrews Center’s Commonwealth Technical Institute.
“This is an opportunity to bring attention and awareness to the uniqueness of individuals with autism,” Hiram G. Andrews Center Director Jill Moriconi said, “but it’s also a chance to show the community the unique gifts and talents people with autism bring to potential employers.”
This was the seventh year in which the center hosted the walk, which was led by Commonwealth Technical Institute’s Autism Support Group of about 25 students.
That included Dean, who welcomed new “Star Fleet recruits” at a station in the center’s parking lot. He said the event’s interactive games, attractions and displays captured visiting students’ attention.
“Last year, we had an island theme,” Dean said. “I love helping out because it raises awareness about autism as well.”
Moriconi said most of the students who attended Tuesday’s event are several years away from enrolling in 18-and-older Commonwealth Technical Institute programs such as skilled trades, culinary arts and information technology.
The goal is to get them started on thinking about career education – and the fact that they can pursue their dreams, regardless of their individual needs.
Moriconi said the institute’s programs are customized to help them overcome physical, intellectual or psychological barriers – and learn and find acceptance within a comforting college environment.
The walk doubled as a resource fair, she said. Attendees got pamphlets and other materials detailing the school’s post-secondary programs, as well as summer academies and “pre-employment transition” programs for kids 14 and older.
It was all new for Forest Hills School District students Ricky Snyder and Duncan Thomas. Neither had ever been to the Hiram G. Andrews Center for any reason until Tuesday, but both said they were impressed by the event.
Snyder, a junior who is already planning to pursue a career as a cook after graduation, said the gathering was a reminder that “there are a lot of jobs out there – and it makes you think.”
Kristen Steinly, a Westmont Hilltop Elementary School Life Skills teacher, praised the walk, which she said Westmont Hilltop students have been attending since its inception. She said it gives students not only another introduction to careers, but also a chance to interact with other students.
“As a special education teacher, it’s fantastic that they have this event,” Steinly said.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Nancy A. Walker said that Tuesday’s event and the Hiram G. Andrews Center’s post- secondary programs both have a statewide impact.
Career education instills confidence in a segment of Pennsylvania’s population that too often feels left behind, and it opens up opportunities to help them live their “fullest life” regardless of their disabilities, she said.
And given the demand for workers in Pennsylvania and beyond, Commonwealth Technical Institute graduates won’t have much trouble finding jobs, she said.
“Unemployment is at a record low, and we have a record number of jobs available,” Walker said. “We have to make sure we’re opening the door for everyone ... and programs like this ... are part of the solution.”
Doctor honored
Walker also joined Moriconi to present an award recognizing the Hiram G. Andrews Center’s in-house physician, Dr. Thomas Ellenberger.
Ellenberger has worked part-time for the center since 1983, first in its now-closed inpatient medical wing, and over the past 25 years at its walk-in “wellness center.” He said he has enjoyed the experience and the relationships he’s forged with colleagues.
Moriconi described Ellenberger as a dedicated advocate for the Hiram G. Andrews Center’s students and their well-being.
“We’re honored to have him here for 41 years,” she said.
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