For Mahala Honaker, the path to a career in physical therapy started long before she graduated from Shelby Valley High School in 2025. Through Prosper Appalachia, that goal came into sharper focus and turned into real-world experience, a paycheck, and a head start on the future she has been working toward for years.
Prosper Appalachia is EKCEP’s in-school career exploration and work-based learning program that helps Eastern Kentucky students identify career goals, gain hands-on experience, and prepare for education and employment after graduation.
Honaker connected with the program through Brittany Combs, the Career Development Specialist at Shelby Valley, one of EKCEP’s partner schools in the Prosper Appalachia network. Like many students served through the program, Honaker began by identifying her interests, learning more about careers that matched them, and exploring opportunities close to home.
“Brittany came into our class and she started out the program by doing career investigations, trying to figure out what career best fit us,” Honaker said.
Honaker said those early assessments helped students connect their interests with real job opportunities in the region. For Honaker, the answer was clear. She had known since middle school that she wanted to pursue physical therapy. After seeing the impact rehabilitation professionals had on her grandmother following an injury, she knew she wanted to make that same kind of difference in other people’s lives.
Through Prosper Appalachia, she was able to pursue that interest directly. Honaker spoke with Combs about beginning a paid internship at East Kentucky Physical Therapy in Pike County. While the program didn’t have a physical therapy opening immediately available, Combs’ dedication to matching Honaker’s specific goals led her to actively search for and secure the placement.
“She didn’t have the physical therapy job when I came to her, but she got out there, she searched, she found it, and she got me where I needed to be,” Honaker said.
With support from Combs, the placement came together quickly, and Honaker also received help navigating the paperwork and requirements for future employment. The program also helped make sure she had what she needed to start strong.
“She got me set up for my first day and she checked to see if there were any supplies like scrubs or shoes or anything I needed,” Honaker said.
Honaker began her work experience in June 2025, just two days after graduating high school. By September, she had been hired on as a technician and has continued working there since.
Today, Honaker works directly with patients in the clinic, helping them with exercises, preparing hot packs, and assisting with day-to-day tasks. More importantly, the experience confirmed that she is exactly where she is supposed to be.
“It definitely clarified that that’s where God wanted me because just seeing the improvement of your patients, you start with the exercise one day and they can barely do it. And two weeks later, they can exceed and do better,” she said.
For Honaker, the paid internship provided more than hands-on experience. It also gave her a chance to start earning money and preparing for what came next after high school.
“That was definitely super beneficial. I’ve been saving that a lot to help pay for college as I go, because college is expensive,” she added. “And that was a way that I could get a start, saving money early without having to go in debt at a young age.”
Now, Honaker is continuing her education with a clear next step in mind. She is currently attending Big Sandy Community and Technical College, where she is a sophomore, and plans to transfer to Alice Lloyd College to major in kinesiology with a minor in biology as she works toward physical therapy school.
She also said the experience through Prosper Appalachia gave her an important jumpstart toward that long-term goal. Because physical therapy programs require field hours, getting into the clinic early gave her both practical exposure and a stronger sense of direction.
Looking back, Honaker believes Prosper Appalachia accelerated her path by helping her gain experience early and making the transition into employment easier. She also encourages other students to take advantage of the opportunity, even if the exact placement they want is not immediately available.
“Prosper Appalachia helped me find the career that I wanted because when I first came to Ms. Combs … she got out and she searched and she found it,” she said. “And through Prosper Appalachia, I was able to get into the job and get hands-on experience.”
Prosper Appalachia is funded in part through support from the Kentucky General Assembly, but private donations help EKCEP expand critical work experience opportunities for students across Eastern Kentucky. To invest in the future of our region’s young people, donate directly at ekcep.org/donate.
EKCEP, a nonprofit workforce development agency headquartered in Hazard, Ky., serves the citizens of 23 Appalachian coalfield counties. EKCEP is funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, along with various federal and state grants and private donations, and is a proud partner in the American Job Center network.