Krista Marie Simeone

 Objective #1: Recruit URI junior, senior, and recently graduated students to interview with the Workforce Recruitment Program on October 8th, 2010 and Meeting with all Students who plan to interview with WRP and make sure their application is complete and they are comfortable and informed about the process before the day of the interview

Evidence #1: Provide documentation of what I go over with each student and notes from every meeting conducted with each student prior to the Interview day (October 8th, 2010).

Activities:

-Calling select juniors, seniors, and recently graduated college students from URI with documented disabilities to gauge their interest in interviewing with the Workforce Recruitment Program

- Meeting with each interviewee over a 2-3 week time span before the day of the interview

- Ensuring that every student has a completed WRP application and a RhodyNet account before they interview

-Keeping a detailed log of each meeting I have with every student, and keeping all of those documents in a binder that I share with both of my internship supervisors.

Evidence #2: Include a list of the students who interview with the recruiter in the form of a confidential schedule listing from that day.

The .pdf file included in Evidence #1 is a log of all the information I collected from each student that I met with prior to the  Workforce Recruitment Interviews, and everything that was accomplished during that meeting. I kept a separate binder with each of these records, including the students' names and contact information for my review and the review of my supervisors, however, in order to keep the identities of these students completely confidential I have removed their names and personal information, and instead have labeled them by number, according to the order in which I met with them. The same was done with Evidence #2, which is a Interview Schedule I organized for the students a few days before the recruiter arrived at URI.

Meeting with these students allowed me to hone in on my abilities as a counselor and improve my active-listening skills. This relates to the techniques I have been learning about at URI as a psychology major with a minor in philosophy. I learned a great deal about the inner-workings of Career Services at URI, and I was able to see the students I frequently encounter at Disability Services in a vocational setting, which allowed me to gain more knowledge about the vocational aspects of being a rehabilitation counselor.

The pieces of evidence presented above showcase my ability to connect with and engage students with disabilities in order to successfully help them prepare for the workforce. Every person with a disability is extremely different, and their strengths and weaknesses vary considerably. It takes a really knowledgeable, passionate, understanding individual to take on a profession that, at times, can be sad, difficult, and emotionally tiresome. When people come to VRC's they are often coming from very hard times (war, injury, a school system which has sheltered them from the realities of the workforce), and it is the job of that counselor to bring meaning back into their lives. After completing this internship, I truly feel that I am completely qualified and dedicated to this type of work.