Girls Inc. of Alameda County visits BART to learn about engineering

On a surprisingly sunshiny day in early March, fourteen girls and their chaperones traipsed down the steps into 19th Street/Oakland Station. They wore matching pink or black shirts with “Girls Inc.” emblazoned across, and their nametags were decorated with the outline of a BART System Map.

The girls – predominantly eighth and ninth graders from around the Bay Area – were enroute to BART’s Lake Merritt Transit Operations Facility, two stops up the line from 19th Street, as part of a field trip organized by Girls Inc. of Alameda County. The field trip took place on International Women’s Day, a global holiday that celebrates women and girls and highlights issues including gender equality and reproductive rights.

Founded in 1958, Girls Inc. of Alameda County provides an array of life-changing programs at their Downtown Oakland Simpson Center for Girls and across more than 75 schools and satellite centers throughout the county. Services include holistic programming, research-based curricula, skill-building activities, and mentoring relationships – all within a “pro-girl” environment that is “physically, socially, and emotionally safe.”

“Girls Inc. of Alameda County programming is designed to empower girls at every stage of development and provides a supportive, engaging environment for them to thrive,” said Julayne Virgil, CEO of Girls Inc. of Alameda County. “We focus on the whole girl: her health and well-being, education, and development as a leader.”

Ninety-eight percent of girls within the organization identify as girls of color. Forty-four percent speak a language other than English at home. And 96% are eligible for free and reduced-price lunches. The organization serves more than 1,200 youth around the county annually.

“Given our work in economically distressed and under-resourced neighborhoods, we recognize that many of our girls face ongoing exposure to trauma,” Virgil continued. “We are committed to providing a trauma-informed approach throughout our programs by ensuring our staff is equipped to recognize and respond to girls who have faced traumatic stress-reducing the impact of that stress on girls’ ability to learn.”

Girls Inc. teaches girls to dream big by exposing them to new opportunities and experiences. The BART field trip grew out of outreach conducted by the Transportation YOU (TYOU) program developed by WTS, an organization dedicated to advancing women in transportation.

“Transportation YOU works with local organizations, like Girls Inc, that support girls by exposing them to careers in transportation,” said Kendall Dobson, one of the WTS TYOU committee organizers and Systems Engineer who is responsible for assessing and ensuring requirements compliance for BART’s Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) project.

“There are so many career options for women in transportation – and not just in engineering,” Dobson continued. “It’s important to highlight these opportunities and make them more visible to the young women in our community.”

Candace Fong-Chan, Principal Administration Analyst, and Ananda Hirsch, Senior Manager of Financial Analysis and Administration, speak to three girls during a Girls Inc. field trip at BART.

As the girls buzzed with excitement for their short BART ride on the platform at 19th Street, Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost gave a quick safety briefing before ushering the group onto a Fleet of the Future train. The girls spread out across the car, finding seats where they could and chattering away with one another.

It was Nora’s first time riding BART, and she looked a bit hesitant at first. But by the end of the ride, she was smiling. When asked what she thought of the experience, she replied, “It was good!”

After arriving at Lake Merritt Station, the girls disembarked and made their way through to the station’s covered fountain area, where they were joined by Wendy Wheeler, BART’s Group Manager of Systems and Data Analytics Engineering. Wheeler brought with her a diverse group of BART employees from across the agency, including representatives from Engineering, Transportation, Financial Planning, and BART Police. Even Paula Fraser, who retired in December after serving the District for more than 40 years, showed up to offer the girls some of her enthusiasm and wisdom.

“I know BART would love to have each and every one of you,” Fraser told the girls.

After introductions, the girls split into groups to rotate through stations around the Lake Merritt Transit Operations Facility. One group started in the Fare Collection Lab, where they were greeted by Weldon Chen, Senior Computer Systems Engineer, and a multitude of faregates and Ticket Vending Machines.

Weldon Chen, Senior Computer Systems Engineer, shows the girls the inside of a Ticket Vending Machine.

Chen explained some of his engineering process to the girls, which he said often revolves around devising ways to prevent fraud in BART’s technology systems.

“I have to think like a thief to find bugs in the system and prevent them,” Chen said, a gleeful look in his eyes. “Part of my testing is trying to intentionally screw things up.”

Chen even opened up a Ticket Vending Machine and proceeded to demonstrate the seemingly mystical process of money being transformed into a ticket.

“Wow, cool!” said the girls in response.

The girls then squeezed into the Train Control Lab with Jeff Martz, Senior Computer Systems Engineer, and Valdi Ilovar, Principal Computer Systems Engineer. The two engineers showed off a variety of hypnotizing technology, including the computer system that monitors and controls the movement of trains and the data analytics program that monitors BART’s sump pumps, which remove water from stations and the trackway. The girls even got a peak at the new Destination Sign System (DSS) – the screens on BART platforms that provide service information.

“Everything in engineering is very connected,” said Wheeler as the girls “oohed” and “ahhed” over the technology. “It’s like a puzzle, and you have to figure out where all the pieces go.”

Wendy Wheeler, BART’s Group Manager of Systems and Data Analytics Engineering, with field trip attendees. Jeff Martz, Senior Computer Systems Engineer, and Valdi Ilovar, Principal Computer Systems Engineer are pictured in the background.

From there, the girls headed to BART Police Headquarters, where they gathered in a room set with multiple tables. BART employees staffed each table and described the work that they do for the District, asking the girls about their aspirations and career goals along the way. BART employees who volunteered their time for the event included Phoebe Cheng, Manager of Civil and Structural Engineering; Mimi Lee, Manager of Construction Services; Cynthia Greenberg, Principal Landscape Architect; Marta Minkwitz, Senior Civil Engineer; Robert Ballard, Manager of Mechanical Engineering; Samuel Hoffman, Principal Mechanical Engineer; Balvir Thind, Project Manager in Power and Mechanical Engineering; Juan Ulloa, Manager of Traction Power Engineering; Ananda Hirsch, Senior Manager of Financial Analysis and Administration; Candace Fong-Chan, Principal Administration Analyst; Police Officer Tyler Mauldin; and Police Lieutenant Wendy Sanchez.  

“Take the time to ask questions,” Vanessa Graham, an Engineer in the Power and Mechanical Engineering group, told two wide-eyed girls who dropped by her table. “If you don’t like something, that’s learning, too.”

Graham said she wants to see more women, especially minority women, in engineering. As the girls’ time at the table came to an end, she proffered one additional piece of advice: “Do what you love, and you’ll be happy.”

Juan Ulloa, Manager of Traction Power Engineering, and Balvir Thind, Project Manager in Power and Mechanical Engineering, show two girls system diagrams.

At the end of the visit, the girls once again filed down into Lake Merritt Station and waited for the train that would carry them back to Girls Inc. Many of them were eager to reflect on the experience, including Azul, who said she was “still trying to process everything I saw.”

Ingrid, who eagerly asked questions at every stop of the trip, said she could see herself being interested in engineering.

“This was really motivational,” she said. “Becoming an engineer is definitely an option, but I don’t know just yet.”

Darlyn, who wants to be a therapist when she grows up, said she, too, “learned a lot” from the visit.

Her biggest takeaway? “There is so much that goes on behind the scenes at BART.”