Students from 17 high schools in Burke, Columbia, McDuffie, Richmond and Wilkes counties attended the Augusta Area High School High Tech Motivational Training Kick-off on Tuesday, September 17th, 2013 at the Georgia Regents University Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre in Augusta.  The High School High Tech program (HSHT) is a collaboration between the Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Inc., The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and local school systems.   

There were over 260 attendees at the motivational training kick-off.  The kick-off training included an interactive session on interviewing skills and a motivational keynote speaker.  Staff from ADP, Augusta provided an interactive job readiness training session on interviewing skills and gave an example of a “bad interview vs. a good interview”.   The motivational keynote speaker, Tim Piccirillo, provided an energetic keynote session titled “The Magic of Your Potential” to encourage students to reach their full potential.  Tim is a motivational speaker who travels across the country motivating and inspiring students, teachers and human services professionals. 

Staff from the Augusta office of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency listed below coordinated this event:  Charlotte Young, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Sandra Owens, Rehabilitation Assistant.  Karen Royston, Executive Director for the Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Inc. assisted and served as facilitator of the event. 

Community partners who participated in this event included:  Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Inc., East Central Georgia Consortium, ADP, Augusta  and  Kohl’s Department Store.   

Students from Dublin, East Laurens, and West Laurens High Schools attended the Dublin/Laurens County High School High Tech program kickoff celebration on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at Middle Georgia State College, Dublin Center. The High School High Tech program (HSHT) is collaboration between the Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Inc., The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and local school systems.

The celebration included informational, motivational and inspirational speeches from Karen Royston, Executive Director of the Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Inc., Pace Tyson, of Dublin, and Kalya Wilson,of Augusta. Mr. Tyson grew up in Dublin and when he was 15 years old, he founded a non-profit organization called “Soldier On”, a charity dedicated to helping veterans in need. He is now a full time business consultant, author, voice-over actor, and college student. His story has been featured on radio talk shows and T.V. shows to include: “The John Boy and Billy Big Show” and “Glenn Beck TV” program. Ms. Wilson, who earned her college degree from Georgia Southern University in December 2012, has recently been asked to become a member of the State Rehabilitation Council and is employed in the Accounting Department for a commercial real estate company. Ms. Wilson has spoken in several forums, including the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency “Breaking Ground” leadership conference in Atlanta and the annual Augusta HSHT Awards Luncheon where she addressed over 300 attendees. In her presentations, Ms. Wilson shares her personal challenges and provides input on how young adults can advocate for themselves after graduating from high school.

The Dublin office of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency listed below coordinated this event: Marybeth Falk, Rehabilitation Unit Manager, April C. Miller, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor ad Transition Counselor for Dublin High School, Alfred Wheeler, Transition Counselor for East Laurens and West Laurens High Schools, Kelly Perry, Rehabilitation Assistant, Holly Sapp, Rehabilitation Employment Specialist, and Sandi Dixon, Job Readiness Specialist and Site Coordinator for the High School High Tech Program at Dublin High School, East Laurens and West Laurens High Schools.

Community sponsors for this event included Oconee Fall Line Technical College Cosmetology Department, Pitts Toyota Scion, Etcon Employment Solutions, United States Army, United States Air Force, Capital City Bank, Georgia United Credit Union, Patti Hendley, State Farm Insurance, McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, and Alltel Wireless.