While many high school students enjoyed a nice long summer break with no homework assignments and tests to study for, a small group of students had the unique opportunity instead to learn about the many ways VTA touches everything transportation related in Santa Clara County. Thirty-five enthusiastic teens entering their junior and senior year of high school graced the halls, bus bays and construction projects at VTA, learning how mobility options from bus and light rail to highways and bikeways impact their local environment.
The Mineta Summer Transportation Institute (MSTI), funded by state and federal grant money, gave students mostly from the East Side Union High School District an invaluable, behind-the-scenes look that most 16 and 17-year-olds would not get to experience. For completing the program, the students received three units of college credit for an Introduction to Environmental Studies course from San Jose State University while also gaining valuable academic and transportation career knowledge.
“In its second year, the East Side Union High School District partnered with the Mineta Transportation Institute as part of its Linked Learning Initiative,” said Jack Aiello, summer program coordinator and the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Academy Magnet) Coordinator at Independence High School. Linked learning offers students advanced options in preparing for college or careers. "The entire program was compressed into three, five-day weeks for students and they proved they could rise to the challenge of college level work.”
The accelerated summer program exposed students to transportation careers while many are still in the process of deciding what they want to do in life. They were shown how mass transit systems are helping to solve traffic congestion, reduce harmful emission in our environment and provide many good jobs. They also have been introduced to how local government impacts transportation.
The students also received a brief tour of VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Extension Project that is scheduled to open for passenger service in fall 2017.
Students had great things to say about the tours and what they learned while "talking shop" with a wide range of VTA employees:
"I find quite interesting the fact that working even as simply as a mechanic or a bus driver requires a lot of education, as well as college degrees. I also found out today that workers can combine their passion with their job at the same time, such as how they paint some of the engines into works of art! Additionally, I enjoyed learning the fact that VTA, like Google, cares for the environment, as well as our class, promoting renewable resources and recycling in any way they possibly can to improve transportation quality for all of us, especially in the near future!" - 17 year old Independence High School senior.
"I learned numerous things from this field trip. I learned how VTA is expanding and currently working to make commuting easier and safer for people like us. I also learned how buses were maintained and repaired which I did not expect. I was also surprised how they did all the work at the station and had so many experienced workers." - 16 year old Independence High School junior.
