Southeast Transportation Workforce Center

Choosing Transportation: Jaila Kimbro - Senior, T-STEM Academy at East High School

high school female portrait

There is much discussion about how K-12 students make decisions about college and career pathways and just what it is that entices them to consider specific fields, such as transportation, to pursue. To learn more about this decision-making process, the ITE STEM Committee interviewed Jaila Kimbro, a senior at the Transportation-STEM (T-STEM) Academy at East High School in Memphis, Tennessee. The T-STEM Academy provides a unique industry-engaged learning experience for its students with a true STEM-for-all model that includes academic concentrations including diesel mechanics, aviation, and STEM. Read on to learn more about Jaila’s experience and future plans!

Q: You have had the opportunity to attend a really unique high school (T-STEM). Why did you decide to attend?

In the 8th grade, I was weighing options about where to go for high school. What appealed to me about T-STEM was that it felt more family-like, from the students to the teachers and administration. I wasn’t sure if I was interested in STEM. But, I was really excited about all of the different program pathways offered at T-STEM. The resources were unparalleled as compared to other schools I visited. You can also earn industry certifications (I earned OSHA certification in my freshman year!) and take dual enrollment courses.

I have always been interested in trying new things. I wanted to learn what I was interested in (and what I was not). There is so much opportunity to try things you have never seen or learned about before at T-STEM. You may fail, or may not like something, but you still learn from this experience. The opportunities I have had at T-STEM and the guidance over the years from faculty helped me to figure out what I enjoy.

Click here to view the full ITE Spotlite (scroll down in the newsletter to read Jaila's Story)!

Check out our Transportation Workforce Playbooks!

SETWC and numerous partners have developed two transportation workforce focused playbooks. The Women in Transportation Playbook highlights best practices and strategies for increasing the number of women pursuing transportation professions. The T-STEM Academy Playbook showcases the T-STEM Academy at East High School and describes the process and key elements that have led to the programs launch and success over a very short period of time. Thank you to all of our industry, education, and community partners! Download your copy today by clicking on the images below!

These documents are disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange under cooperative agreement number DTFH6114H00025. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. This material does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this material only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.

Transportation Spotlights

SETWC has developed a series of profiles to help students and prospective workers learn more about transportation careers. These engaging, high-interest materials showcase transportation professionals from a variety of occupations along different points of their career paths. Check them out below! spotlight image

Catalina Echeverri, Project Manager, Gannett Fleming, Inc.
Liesel Goethert, Senior Transportation Planner, KCI Technologies, Inc.
Bernadette Gray, Managing Director, Freight Analysis, FedEx Freight
Steve Allen, Director, Strategic Transportation Investments Division, Tennessee Department of Transportation
Victoria McDaniel, Associate, Logistics Client & Talent Solutions, Vaco
Dr. Dongmei "Maggie" Lin, Transportation Engineer, DKS Associates
Lisa Dunn, Program Monitor Supervisor, Tennessee Department of Transportation
Jeffrey J. P. Land, Attorney, Jeffrey J.P. Land Attorney at Law
Jamey Kitlinski, Administrative Assistant to the Managing Director, Harrisburg District Operations, FedEx Freight
Virginia Epperly, PE, Complex Structures Engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation
Michael Rebick, PE, ITS Project Engineer, TRC Engineers
Richard Mallory, Account Executive, Mallory Alexander International Logistics
Jameo D. Pollock, MEd, Statewide Technical Training Manager, Virginia Department of Transportation
JaMichael Smith, Commercial Operations Analyst, MARS Petcare, Inc.
Patrick Son, Managing Director, National Operations Center of Excellence
Keith Williams, PE, PTOE, District Traffic Engineer, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Katie Blose, Regional Safety and Compliance Manager, DBi Services, LCC
Chelsea S. Jackson, Core Development Program Business Associate, Virginia Department of Transportation
Jessi Jones, Cargo Specialist Supervisor-OTR, Intermodal Cartage Company
Kayla Holcomb, Transportation Operations Specialist, Gannett Fleming
Doreen Ng-Sui-Hing, EIT, District Project Controls Engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation
Greg Dotson, Engineering Manager, Neel Schaffer, Inc.
Donna Mooney, Vice President of HR, Titan Transfer
Jason McCartney, Senior Transportation Operations Engineer, Gannett Fleming
Janet Luessenheide, Traffic Engineer Technician, City of Overland Park, Kansas
Paul Young, Director, Division of Housing and Community Development for the City of Memphis
Tony Kratofil, Metro Region Engineer, Michigan's Department of Transportation
Calvin Abram, Office of Community Transportation, Tennessee Department of Transportation
Pete Reddan, Assistant Chief of Instruction, CTI Professional Flight Training

Click here for information on how to get involved! This document will explain how to get started on your own transportation spotlight, how to nominate the next spotlight, or help you explain the next steps to your colleagues. Please email Meredith.Powers@memphis.edu with any questions.

SETWC and the National Network for Transportation Workforce

Who We Are

The University of Memphis (UofM) is the home of the Southeast Transportation Workforce Center (SETWC) and is part of the National Network for Transportation Workforce. The national network was established in 2014 through funding from the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The program included 5 regional centers hosted at the UofM, the University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Montana State University and California State University- Long Beach. The network structure allows sharing of best practices and leveraging of resources across the nation to improve transportation workforce outcomes.

Our Mission

The Southeast Transportation Workforce Center (SETWC) conducts transportation workforce research and strategically creates public and private partnerships to address transportation workforce pipeline challenges. SETWC leads a wide range of transportation workforce projects inclusive of many modes, occupations, and points along the career continuum. Additionally, SETWC has nationally-recognized expertise in inclusive practices related to the transportation workforce as well as the complexities of the transportation operations workforce and impact of transformative technologies.

For a printable version of our latest annual impact report, please click here.

This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Agreement No. DTFH6114H00025 & DTFH6116H00030. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Federal Highway Administration.