2024 Mineta Bay Area Summer Academy Achieves Record Numbers

The fourth annual Norman Mineta Bay Area Summer Academy wrapped up last month and had a record number of participants from high schools across the Bay Area. Students came from all nine Bay Area counties, and special efforts were made to recruit from high schools serving equity priority communities and students with disabilities.

Named for Bay Area transportation leader Norman Y. Mineta, the program is a paid experience with MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District).

Over the course of four weeks, over 200 students learned how regional agencies deal with issues like environmental justice, housing and transportation equity, community health, and social justice. 

MTC, ABAG, BCDC and the Air District sponsored the Bay Area Summer Academy to provide insights into how regional governments address these issues and how the public — including students — can help advance equity across the Bay Area.

Most sessions were conducted remotely online, with the Capstone event held in-person at UC Law San Francisco (formerly known as UC Hastings). Notably, multiple UC Law SF alumni spoke with the students, including ABAG Executive Board President Belia Ramos (’04); MTC Commissioner Eddie Ahn (’09); and ABAG Executive Board Member Otto Lee (’94). The speakers commended the students’ interest in public policy and public service, invoking the pathway of Vice President Kamala Harris (’89), who had studied law in the same classrooms where they would be presenting. After hearing from the keynote speakers, students made brief presentations on a local challenge involving transportation, housing, environmental justice and/or related topics. 

Over the course of the Academy, students learned:

• What regional agencies do, and the skills needed for a future career in the public sector
• How to weigh in on decisions that impact the air we breathe, the neighborhoods we live in, how we get to work and school, spaces for exercise, and other factors that shape the health of our communities
• How to have a voice in making decisions that benefit their communities
• How to answer questions like: How long is a bridge supposed to last? Why are there so many potholes? Why is housing so costly? Is the water really rising in the Bay Area?

Students who completed the program received a certificate to include in college, vocational and/or job applications. They were paid a living wage ($300 stipend plus extra bonuses for a potential total of  up to $420.)

This year two recent Summer Academy alumni, Adam Tarr and Swasti Hireman, who are headed to Stanford and University of Michigan respectively, helped out with designing and implementing the Academy. MTC staff is currently receiving feedback from the students on improving the program for next summer, with the goals of increasing representation from underserved communities and students with disabilities. 

You can learn more about the Summer Academy here.