Project SEARCH graduate Shannon Michuda

Project SEARCH graduate Shannon Michuda accepted a proclamation from the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners for National Disability Employment Awareness Month. She currently works at the IRS. Read more about her IRS journey.

Below is the speech she gave at the event in her own words. She accepted the proclamation with JCDS Community Employment Specialist Vicki Besco.

"What my job means to me is doing something for yourself, having work friends, proving you can do something you’ve never done before, and working through adversity. [When] the pandemic happened, tax examiner clerks couldn’t telework, because we had work to do in the office. We all had to do something we never did, and it was interesting some stuff I learned from Project SEARCH came into the picture. People like me [have] gone through way worse job wise in this pandemic we kept on fighting, because we cared about our job while keeping people safe. My first year on the job did not go as planned but it still meant something, because everyone went through it whether you have a disability or not. Thank you for this honor."