Austin Taylor

Vocational Counselor Rachel McGregor has been working with her client, Austin since June of 2016. Already a hard worker, Austin gained work experience as a high school student at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital where he impressed the managers and staff with his initiative and endurance. So when Rachel started working with him as a postgraduate, Austin had already gained an affinity for food service from his experience at Sentara.  

The biggest obstacle Austin faced when landing a job, was finding the right match. They decided to apply to many different types of jobs since his work experience was somewhat limited up to this point. Austin “is capable of so much and knew exactly what he wanted to do,” said Rachel about her experience working with him. “I think it can be hard for younger individuals to find employment in their area of interest because often times they don’t have the experience needed for those positions.” However, Austin was more prepared than most with experience from his high school employment program and extracurricular volunteer experience under his belt. He was able to show managers that he was capable of working a full-time job.  

After looking at several job opportunities, there didn’t seem to be one that just clicked, so Rachel connected with his high school teachers and job coaches in order to reach the managers whom Austin enjoyed working with at Sentara Hospital during his time there.  They immediately knew that they wanted to bring Austin in to interview for a full-time paid position. It was a team effort between Austin, the schools, DARS and The Choice Group to get Austin into the position that he wanted the whole time! 

Now, after being employed by Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital for over a year (he began in May 2017) his coworkers comment on how Austin is one of the hardest workers they know. He is so loved by all of his coworkers and every time Rachel talks to a manager or coworker, they rave about how awesome Austin is. 

He has learned a great deal of independence by scheduling his week around work and organizing his own transportation by following the bus schedule each week. Though he began quiet and shy, since starting his position, Austin has become more comfortable with his coworkers. He jokes and laughs with them, and asks if he can help them when he finishes his own work. He has really become a huge part of the team! 

In his personal time, Austin enjoys video games, movies and hanging out with his friends. He lives near the beach and enjoys hanging out there during the summer. Austin is also a huge Virginia Tech Hokies fan and loves attending the football games with his dad.