FARMINGTON — Under a pilot program at the University of Maine at Farmington, students in the Rehabilitation Services Program have explored what’s ahead after high school with transitional students at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay and Leavitt High School in Turner.

As part of a Group Process class this semester, Jewel Jones, UMF associate professor of rehabilitation services, has her students facilitating groups at the high schools through the Job Club.

Students co-lead discussions with high school students with disabilities. The sessions center around what they might do after high school and topics such as interview skills, problem solving, transportation and dealing with co-workers, Jones said.

Members of the Job Club are also involved in some lighter activities planned and prepared by the UMF co-leaders.

“It is absolutely fun and helps reduce stress,” according to Kaleb Kwasniak of Spruce Mountain in Jay.  

Kwasniak and six other students from Spruce Mountain were on campus Monday to explore opportunities, including college or job prospects. The day included a tour of campus, a scavenger hunt and some time spent with college mentors.

Along with Jones, the program is guided by Wendy Allen and Britany Douglass, Spruce Mountain vocational counselors, and Cyndy Paradis, Spruce Mountain special education teacher.

Students at Leavitt have more work experience through after-school jobs so discussions focused on resumes and interviews, Bailey, a UMF senior from Fairfield, said.

The questions students at Spruce Mountain asked astonished Ian Vail, a UMF junior from Norway, who co-leads the groups with Bailey. There were questions about jobs but they also asked about UMF, he said.

With boundaries to overcome, the students showed a desire to shoot further and voiced a desire to go to college, Sean Keegan, vocational counselor, said. 

There were also questions about different activities on campus, Bailey said. 

Some of the topics discussed had her reflecting on her own future choices. Completing her final semester of classes at UMF, she plans to move on to an internship next semester and then employment.

That brings up a need for coping skills, problem-solving, the uncertainty of finding work and how to deal with that, she said.

“I’m going through some of the same issues,” Bailey said. “It makes it easy to discuss it with them. We are both thinking about the future . . . school, work and goals to focus on.”

While classwork helps the UMF students learn about working in a helping profession, this program has given us hands-on experience, she said.

Closer in age, the UMF students have become role models for the high school students. Vail and Bailey said they have experience with that through camp counseling positions.

“Working with kids and being a role model to them is part of who I am,” Vail said.

When he started the rehabilitation course last year, he was in a class of juniors and seniors and felt like he didn’t belong. This experience has helped him feel a part of the program, he said.

It has also boosted his self-confidence, Jones said.

“They make a difference in other’s lives,”  Keegan said. “They have put more of themselves out there.”

Based on results at Jay and Turner, plans are underway to expand to other schools next semester, Jones said. UMF students are hearing about the program and want to sign up. They may also reach out to adults, not just transitional students.

abryant@sunjournal.com