Behind-the-scenes tours of major new transportation projects, such as the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore and the Oakland Airport Connector, are part of the Transportation YOU mentoring program that introduces teen girls, ages 13–18, to a wide variety of transportation careers.
The goal is to spark an interest in all transportation careers and encourage the young protégés to take courses in math, science and technology. The program is a nationwide, joint initiative of WTS International (with WTS standing for Women’s Transportation Seminar) and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Bay Area chapter of Transportation YOU is this year’s recipient of an MTC “Excellence in Motion” Merit Award. In addition to field trips, the local chapter participates in a yearly Career Day where students can question working professionals about the paths that led them to become engineers, obstacles faced and what they like best about their jobs. Also during Engineers Week in February, the organization sponsors a seminar that introduces students to the job opportunities at engineering firms. Students also can participate in engineering-related design contests in which they build models as a hands-on way of learning about such topics as seismic forces.
Transportation YOU volunteer mentors must commit to a one-year program that includes a training session and monthly in-person meetings with their protégés and more frequent contact via email or phone. Each year, one or two local mentor-protégé pairs are selected to attend the five-day Transportation YOU DC Youth Summit in the nation’s capital, where girls have an opportunity to meet top U.S. Department of Transportation officials, take exclusive tours and work on team challenges.
The Bay Area Transportation YOU program partners with Girls Inc. of Alameda County to find female students who want to be mentored, and is currently working to expand to other Bay Area counties. Transportation YOU is making a difference in the lives of dozens of young girls locally, opening the doors to engineering careers that can change the face of the transportation industry.
