Kinney Center Expands SCHOLARS Program to Local Colleges and Universities

Since its inception in 2009, the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support has been dedicated to supporting and serving children and adults affected by autism and their families. This is a mission made possible only through the SCHOLARS program.

The SCHOLARS (Students Committed to Helping Others Learn about Autism Research and Support) program includes 120 to 170 part-time student employees who provide recreational programs, skills training and adult day programs to help clients succeed in their day-to-day lives.

“They are the crux of how we are able to provide services to the community,” says Kinney Center senior director of operations Abigayle Jayroe, MBA. “All of our programs have a 1-to-1 staff or 2-to-1 staff. These people are dedicated to progress.”

However, for the past few years, the SCHOLARS program was primarily offered to SJU students within select majors, such as interdisciplinary health services, psychology and education. In an effort to diversify the SCHOLARS program, the Kinney Center is looking to recruit from non-typical majors as well as other Philadelphia universities.

“The more diverse the team is, the more perspective and thoughts that will come to the table. We want to come up with the best solutions for our clients,” explains Jayroe. “It’s awesome to have a team of diverse thinkers. Someone might have learned something in nursing school or occupational therapy school that our students wouldn’t have thought of. It’s an environment of constant learning.”

Additionally, the SCHOLARS program can give external students an opportunity to engage with the community they might serve after graduation. With more comprehensive knowledge, the Kinney Center can provide better care to clients and expand its offerings.

Those in more traditional majors aren’t the only ones who can benefit from working as a Kinney SCHOLAR. With large organizations like SAP, Ernst & Young and Merrill Lynch taking an initiative to hire more individuals on the spectrum, empathy and understanding, and firsthand knowledge on how to empower a neurodiverse workforce can be beneficial for students in just about any major.

“There is a movement in our country right now to increase neurodiversity in the workplace,” explains Jayroe. “More companies are realizing the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce. The hard part, however, is having a team that understands and accepts that their new colleagues might have different tendencies. Companies are actually hiring outside consultants to help with this, but as a SCHOLAR, you can market yourself to these larger companies and say you’re prepared to be a teammate or even manage a team.”

When it comes to what the Kinney Center is looking for in SCHOLARS applicants, Jayroe says a readiness to work hard is the most important. “It’s more about mindset — what you’re looking for in a job rather than your major,” she says. “We’re looking for someone who is open to working hard. This isn’t a typical work study job, but you have the opportunity to change someone’s life. While you might have hard days, you’ll also have amazing days you won’t get at the cafe or bookstore.”