Author: Patti Singleton

NKU’s SHEP Program has 11 enrolled students for the 2024-2025 academic year – 4 new students and 7 returning.

Seven of our students are currently placed in internship positions both on campus and in the community. Five of our students are in paid positions. Six students live on campus in the residence halls.

One of our students (Will Abel) is serving as the very first Team Manager for NKU’s Swim Team. Will is interested in the Business and Athletics industry and is taking classes such as Business 101 and Team Sports. This is also Will’s first year to live on campus in the residence halls!

See the full NKU Fall Newsletter below.

A New Chapter Begins: WKU Program Celebrates First Student

• This is the first semester of our CTP program, SAV-Y, at Western Kentucky University! We are so excited to join the list of Kentucky CTP programs!

• WKU recently played the University of Alabama in football. Before the game Alabama’s CTP program, CrossingPoints Program (CPP), made a hype video in which they highlighted our program and theirs! It was so awesome to have CTPs at other universities across state lines to reach out and make connections while also helping spread awareness of CTP programs and helping us further our reach to communities that can benefit from our program.

• Watch the Alabama University CrossingPoints Program connection video.

Highlights

• Our SAV-Y student has many peer mentors who have been spending time with him outside of class to help him acclimate to campus! They have tried new restaurants on campus, explored the campus, and listened to music together (one of his favorite activities)!

• We have embedded peer mentor hours into a graduate level School Psychology course that currently requires each student to get a minimum of 15 hours of peer mentorship assistance for the semester. This has boosted our outreach for the program and for the peer mentors and led to other students inquiring and applying to become peer mentors. The School Psych graduate program and their leaders have been a huge asset to the SAV-Y program in getting off the ground for our first semester and we can’t thank them enough!

• We are in the process of forming partnerships with other WKU organizations to provide our SAV-Y student access to opportunities to grow his job knowledge, learning, and work-skills in multiple settings that are of interest to him. 

About WKU SAV-Y

• Our SAV-Y program is a three-year program in which students will focus on Social development, Academics, and Vocational integration (hence the SAV-Y title). The program aims to help these students acquire workplace skills and competencies while gaining academic knowledge in an inclusive environment with an end goal of transitioning into a career in an area they have selected and worked towards throughout the program. Our SAV-Y program has now become the sixth CTP program of its kind in Kentucky, and we are so proud that we now have one available in our geographical area!

• Our Facebook

• Our Website

BCTC Bursts with Student Engagement this Fall

The Bluegrass Community and Technical College is vibrant with student energy and engagement.

• Aaron is working part time at the YMCA and is wanting to become a P.E. teacher assistant. He completed our dual credit program and is continuing to work toward an associate’s degree.
• Dameon graduated from the CTP program in May and has started working as a Peer Mentor supporting CTP students. He is doing an excellent job.
• Emma is one of our art students and she is studying digital literacy and communication this fall. She is very involved in swimming, and a refugee outreach group.
• Henry is taking basic carpentry and has been hired by Best Buy as his first job.
• Chandra graduated from the CTP program in May and is continuing with her associate’s degree. We are partnering with her another year to assist with any needs.
• Wick is working to become a History teacher and is doing an internship with Fayette County Schools. He is taking more classes this year and doing a great job managing his responsibilities.
• Our Fayette County CTP program through Opportunity Middle College has grown to 6 students. These students work at Project Search 2-3 days a week and are at BCTC in class the remaining days. A big thank you to Mrs. Karen Edwards, Dr. James McMillin, Dr. Rachel Baker and Mrs. Jeanine Mosher for all of their support of this program.
• Kacy has started a CTP Freshman Year Experience section with natural and peer supports. This has been an awesome way to start the program at BCTC.

For more information about BCTC, contact kacy.midkiff@kctcs.edu.

The College and Career Studies (CCS) program at the University of Kentucky has 9 students this semester. Some students will be finishing up this year, while others have just started. Fall semester is always an exciting time, as we get to know each other and think about our plans and goals for the year.

Here are 4 of the students during a campus tour this summer. Pictured from left to right: Ella, Jared, Xin, and Brooklynn.

Career Exploration and Community Engagement:

This semester, we have 3 students taking a practicum class in Universal Design. Gabby will be the lead consultant in the Graphic Medicine Resource Lab project, a collaboration between the Human Development Institute and UK HealthCare. Boris is working on a presentation and exhibit about the history of railroads, incorporating his love of trains and talents in photography. Jacob is doing a Sports Journalism project, mixing his interests of sports and art with concepts of universal design.

Kate has finished up her practicum classes, but is continuing to explore career interests and stay connected. She is preparing some dance workshops in the community, thanks to a grant she received from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Congratulations, Kate!

Creative spotlight:

Several CCS students are interested in creative arts. Brooklynn and Jared both like to write stories. Kate loves to dance and helps others learn about dance and movement. Callie loves music and shares this with others through making playlists. Boris takes great photographs of trains and railroad sites. Ella makes creative things using digital design. Xin draws comics.

Here is Xin’s Instagram, where you can find her amazing comic, Dinofriends!