- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
Lincoln University, Pa. – Twenty-four students from secondary schools as far away as Florida graduated from the Summer Transportation Institute at Lincoln University on July 29.
The Institute, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, aims to create awareness and stimulate interest among public and private secondary school students in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware in career opportunities that exist in the transportation industry.
Justin Robertson, an eighth grader from Bala Cynwd, graduated from the 2016 Summer Transportation Institute
Justin Robertson, an eighth grader at Cynwd Elementary in Bala Cynwyd, said he was looking for a summer STEM camp to move him closer to his goal of becoming a neurosurgeon, which he said he wants to do because "there's so much we haven’t discovered about the brain, and I want to help people."
After a completing the lengthy application process, the seventh, eighth, and ninth graders were immersed in the intense and structured learning opportunity with a curriculum that exposed them to all modes of transportation and topics such as highway design, transportation of people and cargo, inter-modal transport systems, laws, regulations, safety, security, and career opportunities.
Secondary students attend the graduation of the 2016 Summer Transportation Institute. Front row: Vivica Bush, Kennedi Chadwrick, Zyreek Crawford, and Aboubakare Diaby. Back row: Amearah Guy, Mashia Hargrove, Kaela Hill, and Amadu Jalloh
In addition, students participated in computer training, group projects, and field trips including a tour of the White House and a visit the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C.
Participants resided in the Apartment Style Living residence hall from July 11-29 and ate in the campus dining hall. Kennie Edwards, an assistant professor in the Department of Business and Entrepreneurial Studies at Lincoln, said it “is always an honor and pleasure” to serve as the Institute’s director.
Barry Francis, Lincoln University Class of 1977, addresses the 2016 STI graduates
“We bring students to campus and give them the opportunity to see what college life is all about and hopefully get them to start seriously thinking about college and developing a plan for their future,” he said.
The graduation ceremony featured Barry Francis ’77, a regional human resources manager with Dollar Tree, Inc. who lauded the students for seizing the opportunity to attend the Institute and to continue to advance their education, remaining curious, and “if they fall down, to reach out to a parent or adult and let them pick you up.”
Article and photos by Shelley Mix, Office of Communications & Public Relations