National Summer Transportation Institute lauds ADOT with hopes of inspiring students

Forty-four students saw first-hand how the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) conducts business. 

During a June 13, field trip to the Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, the project office, and the Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix, high school students from all over the state witnessed the varying  jobs and careers that are available at ADOT in the transportation industry. 

The Arizona State University (ASU) National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) program is funded in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration. It is a week-long program and is provided at no charge to Arizona students. All meals and on-campus housing are included.

“The intent of NSTI is to help raise awareness and stimulate interest in middle and high school students to take advantage of career opportunities in the transportation industry”, said Elaine Michaud, Coordinator of Outreach and Recruitment at Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU. 

“They learned about the wide variety of engineering careers, from construction management to biomedical engineering,” Michaud said. 

“We try to find high-achieving, but underrepresented students who may not have been exposed to the possibilities of the transportation industry. After one week with us, they leave more informed about the great opportunities available in Arizona, working on improving people’s lives through better infrastructure,” Michaud said.

During their June 13, ADOT tour, the students got a chance to ask industry professionals questions in order to get a better understanding of the transportation industry.     

“I signed up for it, and I got accepted, and I was excited about it,” said 16-year-old Jevon Jackson as he got ready to tour the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project. Jackson, who attends Sierra Linda High School in West Phoenix, said he was considering a future career with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance division.    

ASU has been hosting the program for 15 years, and some students who attend NSTI have received academic scholarships towards transportation degrees. Michaud said the summer program is “instrumental” in keeping high-achieving students in Arizona for college, as many are looking to go to college and work in-state. 

Josselin Delgado, an incoming junior at Trevor G. Browne High School in Phoenix said she was “very interested in construction and learning about how construction works.” When asked if she saw herself working at ADOT in the future, she smiled and said, “I think I could, because I really like it here.”