Monica Johnson
Housekeeping Director
Embassy Suites, Downtown St. Louis

As the housekeeping director, Monica has provided work experience opportunities for our VSP students at three hotels. These consist of internships, volunteer positions, and staff positions for those who are eventually hired. Having worked with more than 100 of our students and 15 teachers and job coaches, she is excellent at identifying jobs that match each student’s skill set and area of interest. 

“Monica is the cultivator of our garden. She plants the seeds, nurtures them, and provides light and positioning while they are growing. She even pulls the weeds if needed but always places those seedlings in new soil if necessary. She believes in the interns, she believes all people can learn, and she believes all people can work.” - Irvin (Chuck) Howard

St. Mary's Hospital
Food Service Department

St. Mary’s Hospital's food service department has partnered with the Vocational Skills Internship program since 2014. The department has provided training opportunities for 20 students over the years and has hired 9 of those students. Carrie Shelby, Denise Stuart, Kevin Hartman, and Joe O’Bryant ensure that students are paired with mentors who will teach them the job steps and how to be excellent employees. When students are training, they are embraced as team members.

"The food service department team at St. Mary’s Hospital is willing to work with our students and have a complete understanding of the program. They are compassionate, caring, and eager to go the extra mile to ensure student success." - Katina Harshbarger, Teacher/Transition Services

World Wide Technology
Apprenticeship & Mentoring Team
North & South Tech DOL Apprenticeship

World Wide Technology developed a registered youth apprenticeship with the Department of Labor to hire North and South Tech students enrolled in the Cisco Networking Academy into paid, entry-level positions and direct hires. The registered youth apprenticeship includes support through mentoring and exploration of opportunities within WWT. Five SSD tech students were hired this school year as apprentices, in addition to eight direct hires.

"World Wide Technology embodies SSD's mission to support and empower
students to excel to their highest potential by creating a meaningful
pathway for students to apply their specialized skills and grow them in an environment where the sky is the limit." - Kevin Andert, Executive Director of CTE & Career Readiness

Randy Harman & Julie Elking
Talent Acquisition
Lou Fusz Automotive Network

Randy Harman, the talent acquisition manager at Lou Fusz Automotive Network in St. Louis, has been instrumental in developing a productive partnership with North and South Tech. He has presented to SSD automotive tech students on the careers and pathways available at LFAN and helped facilitate five vehicle donations for student use to our automotive tech program. LFAN also provides opportunities for field trips and internships for automotive tech students and a scholarship for students who attend Ranken Technical College and agree to begin their careers at LFAN.

"Randy is a wonderful person with a wealth of knowledge and a great advocate for our students. His efforts to partner with and support our Automotive and Auto Collision programs have energized students, and we look forward to continuing to work with Randy for many years. Julie handles all the recruiting and hiring for VIP Distributing, where most North and South Tech students are employed. She plays a huge role in helping them get started in their careers with Lou Fusz."  - Jeff Chandler, Professional Counselor, South Tech