The July/August spotlight was written by Katherine Lee, 2020-2021 President, and Jacob Hamada, 2021-2022 President of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ITE Student Chapter.

Cal Poly ITE would like to thank Western District and the Endowment Fund for all their continuous support. During the 2020-2021 academic year, our student chapter has accomplished many unforgettable achievements. There are many events to be highlighted, but we are especially grateful for the following events where we saw our student chapter grow in resilience and integrity. Starting in September 2020, we fully transitioned all our meetings and events to be fully virtual. Although people typically think negatively about the impacts of COVID-19 on student chapters, Cal Poly ITE took advantage of the virtual opportunity to think “outside the box” and try things we have never imagined doing. 

Panel with the Western District on how to get the most out of ITE

The virtual format has brought us many opportunities to connect with other student chapters and professionals, while also being more involved within the organization. In January 2021, our student chapter did a collaboration webinar with NYU ITE and ITE Education Council to share our experience on how to run a successful student chapter. Shortly after, Cal Poly ITE brought the Western District Student Leadership Summit (SLS) back SLOme, which was hosted virtually through Zoom. This would not have happened without the support of the Western District, Endowment Fund, and our sponsors—thank you! 

Soon after our successful Western District SLS, we collaborated with other student leaders from all over the world to organize and host the International SLS in February. Also in February, our student chapter members collected traffic and parking data at Santa Rosa Park, San Luis Obispo, CA, for Western District’s Data Collection Project. In April, Cal Poly ITE hosted our joint SLOcal Transportation Mixer and Alumni Night over Gather.Town where our chapter members had a chance to network with local professionals and alumni. Because of this virtual event, we were able to meet Cal Poly ITE’s first president who started up our student chapter back in 1974!

Cal Poly ITE at International SLS

Cal Poly ITE’s Annual SLOcal Transportation Mixer + Alumni Night

For the upcoming academic year, we look forward to seeing and interacting with our members through our in-person meetings and events. We are especially excited to send students to attend next year’s Western District Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, CA. Cal Poly ITE has seen great value in attending conferences such as SLS and Annual Meetings. They are a great way for our student members to network with other student leaders and professionals, while also increasing their knowledge about the transportation profession. Our student chapter is known to typically bring a large group of students to attend these conferences, which are made possible with the support of the Endowment Fund. We are very thankful for our successes this past year, and we look forward to seeing everyone in person next year!

Contributions to the Endowment Fund can be made here.