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Students in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Upward Bound Program learned about the engineering industry in a July 20 workshop presented by former Upward Bound participant Sharon Byrd. 

An engineer with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Byrd spoke about being a former Upward Bound student and her 25-year career with IDOT. 

More than 120 students participated in the Upward Bound BEM and EC programs at the Career Pathways Workshop Series in Civil Engineering and Transportation. Byrd described some of her challenges and said her tenacity was worth it, because it yielded a rewarding career with a good salary. She also described job duties of IDOT civil engineers. 

Also speaking to the students were IDOT Engineer Kevin Jemison and Southern Recruitment Manager Aisha Price. Jemison talked about the field of engineering and told students what kind of courses they should be taking in high school to prepare for college engineering programs. 

The workshops concluded with a bridge building competition, following a discussion of various bridges in the region. Student groups were allotted five minutes to build a bridge out of gum drops. The bridges were measured and the group with the tallest bridge was declared the winner and civil engineers for the day. 

“The Career Pathways Workshop Series was designed by Upward Bound Counselor Gloria Banks and is new this summer,” said Upward Bound Program Director Javonda Quinn. “The workshops brought in industry workers who exposed our students to various career fields to help them make better decisions about their choices for college majors. 

“We had representatives from the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), business management, real estate and entrepreneurship. We also had representatives from SIUE’s WE CARE Clinic, Kimberly Criss (a nurse patient advocate and family nurse practitioner) and Natasha Smith (academic advisor for the Student Nurse Achievement Program – SNAP). The students rated the workshops high and said they were highly informative and helpful.” 

TRIO Upward Bound, is a federally-funded year-around academic program designed to help students enter into and complete post-secondary education. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition, mathematics and science on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. 

UB serves students from grades 9-12 from the following high schools: East St. Louis and Cahokia (EC) and Brooklyn, East St. Louis Charter and Madison (BEM).  

With a focus on empowering people and strengthening communities, the SIUE East St. Louis Center is dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals - from pre-school through adult - in the Metro East. Head Start/Early Head Start and a charter high school are among the programs that offer the community renewed hope and an opportunity to reach educational, career and life goals. The Center also assigns first priority to encouraging, supporting and improving the educational success of the residents of East St. Louis and surrounding urban communities. The Center provides comprehensive programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services and the arts. 

Photos:

Sharon Byrd, Illinois Department of Transportation engineer and former Upward Bound student, measures the mock bridge of students, Kayla Lacy (left), Jesse Bady (far right) and Lauren Phegley. 

Civil Engineers for the Day and winners of the tallest mock bridge are (from left to right): Tylessa Newble, Tiara Fisher, Nickreal Clark, Darianna Morris, Adrienne Gines and Karlontajhi Mobley.