Walnut Creek, CA – For the sixth year in a row, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) hosted its “Girls Lead the Way” Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) event today at Chevron’s headquarters in San Ramon. This year, CCTA teamed up with Chevron and Bay Area LEEDS to host 150 girls from middle and high schools in Contra Costa County, Livermore and Hayward. As part of the event, the students were mentored by 30 women currently in STEM careers.
The Girls Lead the Way event, which was launched in 2018, is one of CCTA’s initiatives to encourage youth to pursue STEM disciplines. CCTA also sponsors the Cal Poly Pomona Femineer Program which started at Ygnacio Valley High School and now reaches more than 100 girls each year at three schools in the East Bay. In addition, each spring CCTA invites 18 schools and over 80 students and 20 teachers to attend its annual Redefining Mobility Conference, which provides youth and their instructors the opportunity to access leading-edge information about the future of advanced transportation.
“Transportation technology is rapidly changing, and our field will need a workforce to meet those advances,” CCTA Commissioner Chris Kelley said. “CCTA supports STEM education to help cultivate future transportation professionals and we are grateful to partner with Bay Area LEEDS and Chevron in our effort to make our industry more inclusive and diverse.” Commissioner Kelley also serves as a Councilperson for the City of Hercules.
At today’s event, women volunteers mentored the girls as they learned about electricity and made electrical circuits using copper tape. By engaging with real-world applications, the girls acquire the technical knowledge and practical skills necessary to become confident and strong in their future STEM careers.
About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority: The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering transportation infrastructure projects and programs throughout the County. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to manage traffic levels. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.
