By Barbara Moreno, WTS-DC 
July 2023 

WTS-DC’s Transportation YOU (TYOU) started the year by partnering with COMTO on an effort designed to expose DC Public School (DCPS) students to the area’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  On March 2nd, TYOU led an effort that gave approximately 24 students from McKinley Technical High School a curated tour of Morgan State University and their Transportation and Urban Infrastructure Studies (TUIS) Department. 

The visit started with a special welcome event hosted by the TUIS, Chair Dr. Anthony Saka, and Interim Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Celeste David. During the event DCPS students not only learned about the university and its program geared toward careers in the transportation sector, but also got to interact with current students during a Q&A portion to get a sense of life at Morgan. Dr. Saka ended the program by announcing that the department had scholarships in the amount of $20,000 per year available to interested students. 

Following the program DCPS students participated in a student-led tour of campus and learned a bit more about the history of the university and the investments made to maintain and grow its reputation as a National Treasure. DCPS students visited the Engineering Department and had split sessions where they were able to tour the lab and engage with direct conversations with D’Andrea Walker, the first woman and African American Director of Public Works and Transportation in Baltimore County, who is also an alumna of Morgan State University,  and Shanae Murray, the Chief Administrator & Performance Management of the Maryland Aviation Administration. 

The event was a huge success! For some students it was their first time on a college campus and at the conclusion they expressed a heightened awareness about what’s possible after high school, but also the value in meeting people with similar backgrounds and experiences who are interested in and/or working  in the transportation sector. 

A special thanks to our partners at McKinley Tech and the Maryland Chapter of COMTO for their support and engagement with this effort.