Shayne M.

A long-time IOB student, Shayne has tapped into his love of art and technology in every layer of Islands of Brilliance’s (IOB) programming - from the Sandbox’s Daily Programming and Brilliant Breakfast Club (BBC) to our more rigorous Digital Academy program.

Shayne is an amazing illustrator, but more than that, he is a leader and positive role model - especially in Sandbox Daily Programming. Not only is he supportive of other students, but he encourages the group to try new things. This spring, as part of the Natterday story-building activity, Shayne worked with other students and our Creative Technologists to go above and beyond and turn the student story into a video.

“Shayne shows immense leadership with his ability to lead by example and the guiding questions he asks in every program he attends,” remarks IOB Creative Technologist Program Lead, Natalie Derr.

Bridging the Employment Gap

Bridging the employment gap for autistic individuals is part of Islands of Brilliance’s long-term dream.  That’s why it is so exciting when one of our students becomes part of the team as an intern. “Having Shayne as an intern at IOB has been one of the easiest decisions we’ve made. He is already such an integral part of IOB that having him join us as an intern just made so much sense,” says Natalie, who has also been helping define Shayne’s internship responsibilities.

IOB is excited that partnering with The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) has made this internship possible! Shayne’s official title: Creative Tech Intern. We've tapped into Shayne’s artistic talents and creativity to help us in Sandbox and Side Quest workshops as well as creating social media graphics. “Shayne has taken the reins in Sandbox by sharing the daily drawing challenge and helping students take turns to share their artwork. He even designed a spectacular Character Drawing Tutorial of one of his very own characters, Willy!,” Natalie explains.

Internship Goals

When asked about his goals with the internship, Shayne replied, "I’m hoping this internship helps me become more knowledgeable about the work world and helps build my resume. I hope it helps me toward my goal of employment. I’d like to get into the graphic arts business, work with people to create stories, and have fun doing it." 

We agree! We want to help him grow by nurturing his natural leadership tendencies and giving him a platform for his incredible illustration and design work within our marketing projects. The internship is also an opportunity for Shayne to see “the other side of the curtain,” i.e. the inner workings of the organization he has participated in: how we operate, how we problem solve, how we celebrate one another, and how we build each other up. Natalie adds, “We think it is important for him to see how we function as a staff so that he can have an idea of what a professional workplace environment looks like and even more importantly, feels like. It is also very important that a student voice and opinion joins us in our meetings to represent the very population of students we serve.”

Natalie sums it up well, “My hope for Shayne is that he continues to be the person he is, open-minded, kind, wildly creative, and willing to take on the next challenge with vigor and confidence as I’ve seen him do before.”

Shayne helped us celebrate IOB’s 10-year anniversary by participating in this video. He talks about what he learns at IOB - not just the creative software, but communication and connection.