The Department of Family Medicine welcomes Matt Mulligan, a student intern with Project SEARCH. In partnership with the Munroe-Meyer Institute, Project SEARCH “was initiated in 2015 to create unpaid internship opportunities to help individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities gain knowledge and skills which could potentially lead to paid employment.” Matt shared a little bit about himself and his experience so far.
By Matt Mulligan
My name is Matt Mulligan, I am 25-years-old and an aspiring writer. I was born in Omaha but now I live in Bellevue with my dad and stepmom.
I joined Project Search because I want to be able to get a job helping people. My first Project SEARCH job is in Family Medicine as a clerical assistant. I like this job because the people are friendly. They have been extremely nice. Sometimes work is hard because I have Asperger’s so I have a hard time paying attention.
My whole life I wanted to help people, mostly kids. I want to open a kid’s club for kids and teens to go after school. Outside of work, I am getting my GED and I hope to get into the Police Academy. I also play flag football and a little guitar. My love for mystery comes from reading, which I enjoy along with videos games and watching crime dramas like CSI, Law and Order, etc.
After my mom died I decided to turn my life around and make myself better. My life does not have an unknown future but a hopeful one.
Thank you Matt. You are an asset to the department.
Thank you for giving Matt this amazing opportunity! My hope is for other departments to see how you took a chance on Project SEARCH and discovered it’s benefited everyone. I started my career at UNMC 13 years ago in Family Medicine. You took a chance on a new college grad, and for that I’ll be forever grateful to you all. Thank you Jenenne for helping to get me connected with the right people! Also thank you for being an amazing boss and mentor. Dr. Sitorius, thank you for allowing us to create a job rotation in your department. You understand the importance of an integrated work environment. All of the Project SEARCH staff want to tell you how much we appreciate your staff being supportive and welcoming to Matt. Kerin, thank you for all of your help coordinating the rotation, finding a mentor, and being a great person to work with.
Best wishes, Matt! I love your Kids Club idea! You have some really great goals and hope you enjoy your internship at UNMC!