Irena is a Room Services Team Member at Riverside Community Hospital who is celebrating 13 years of serving staff and patients after first learning job skills as a student in the Transition Partnership Program (TPP) at the Riverside County Office of Education.

Through her 13 years of employment at the hospital, she has been a valuable team member of the nutrition services department and has made a tremendous impact on the kitchen, staff, directors, and most importantly, on patients.

“I’ve always liked working at the hospital, and I’m a hard worker,” Irena says in her video profile created by the Riverside County Office of Education. “TPP helped me by improve my skills, how to be an adult, to learn how to say ‘yes’, and to always have a smile.”

The Transition Partnership Program at the Riverside County Office of Education is an interagency vocational program federally funded by the California State Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), and local high schools across the county.

More than 600 students from participating school districts join the program each year. The goal of TPP is to assist students with disabilities in overcoming challenges in their transition from high school to further education/training and/or to gain meaningful employment.

The success of TPP is due to the partnership between the Riverside County Office of Education, the Department of Rehabilitation, many community partners, and the teachers and staff at school districts.

For further information, contact the TPP program at RCOE at (951) 826-6530.