Exploring Transportation, Engineering & Infrastructure Through Early Workforce Development

Our high school participants attended the Girls in Motion Summit at the Salesforce Transit Center, where they explored careers in transportation, engineering, and infrastructure.

Workforce development begins long before a first job or internship. Experiences like the Girls in Motion Summit expose participants to careers they may never have considered, connect them with accomplished professionals, and help them begin building the skills, confidence, and social capital needed to thrive in tomorrow's workforce.

Check out this reel created by Girls Inc. of Alameda County participant and summer intern, Lydia, to see behind-the-scenes of this exciting field trip!

The day began with participants traveling together by BART to San Francisco before being welcomed to one of the region's most innovative transportation hubs. During the executive panel discussion, participants heard from Michelle Bouchard, CEO of Caltrain, Tilly Chang, Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and leaders from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, who shared their career journeys, the challenges they have overcome, and the importance of increasing representation for women in STEM and infrastructure careers. The discussion was moderated by Michele DiFrancia of Parsons Corporation, encouraging participants to think beyond traditional career paths and consider the many opportunities available in these growing fields.

After the panel, participants explored the Salesforce Transit Center through a series of interactive activities. They worked together during a scavenger hunt through Salesforce Park, learning about the innovative design and engineering behind the facility. They also toured areas rarely open to the public, including the future Caltrain trainbox beneath the station and the operations areas where they learned how buses travel directly from the Bay Bridge into the terminal without entering city streets. One of the day's most memorable discoveries was seeing how sensors in the bus terminal activate the fountains in the park above each time a bus passes beneath.

We are so grateful to the summit organizers: ACEC Bay Bridge Chapter, WTS San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA).

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