Congratulations Employee of the Year – David Asterino!

by Kathleen Barney

Els for Autism would like to congratulate David Asterino for his achievement of earning the award of Employee of the Year at Seawind Elementary in Hobe Sound, Florida.

David has been a huge supporter of Els for Autism ever since Patricia Valentine, a graduate of the Work Experience Program, started working at Seawind Elementary. David has been an outstanding mentor to Patricia and has guided her through any challenges she has faced since being employed. When Patricia was asked how she felt about David winning this award, she responded “I’m so happy for him. He deserves it.”

The employee of the year is awarded to an individual who exemplifies only the best qualities, such as customer service, interaction with his coworkers and willingness to go above and beyond the assigned job duties. When I asked David why he thought he won this award, his response was, “I think it was because I still take my job very seriously but I don’t let it affect the camaraderie with the rest of the staff and the students.”

The Adult Services department at Els for Autism is very fortunate to have coworkers and mentors such as David in the worksites. Congratulations!