RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation is honoring the first class of the Office of HBCU Outreach’s HBCU/MSI Fellows Program.
The Office of HBCU Outreach is dedicated to educating the public and building strategic alliances that support NCDOT’s commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce.
The HBCU/MSI Fellows Program, which is only one part of this initiative, offers workplace experience and learning opportunities at the N.C. Department of Transportation to recent graduates of North Carolina’s historically black colleges or universities or minority-serving institutions. The goal of the program is to place participants into full-time employment, and so far eight of the 12 members have already moved on from the Fellows program to find full-time employment.
“I am thrilled with the successes of both the Office of HBCU Outreach and the students who have joined us through these programs,” said NCDOT Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard. “I think the Fellowship Program exemplifies the kind of collaboration we continuously strive for at NCDOT and it is always great to see more graduates of our state’s HBCUs and MSIs join our industry.”
Members who have already completed the program include:
- Jaylin Thomas, an N.C. Central University criminal justice major, now employed with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles Renewals, Titles and Plates Unit
- Ahmed Zharani, an N.C. A&T State University computational science and engineering and systems engineering major, now employed with the N.C. Pandemic Recovery Office
- Alexia Edmunds, an NCCU public administration major, now employed with the N.C. DMV Compliance Office
- Brandon Reyes, an NCCU management major, now employed with the N.C. DMV Compliance Office
- Nathan Kemp, an N.C. A&T history major, now employed with GoTriangle
- Sabria Futrell, an NCCU business administration major, now employed with the city of Durham
- Bessie Gilreath, an NCCU political science and public administration major, was formerly employed with Ramey and Kemp & Associates
- Jimmy Davis, an NCCU business administration major, now employed with the NCDOT Office of Civil Rights
Current cohorts of the Fellows Program include:
- Edward Holley, Jr., an NCCU environment earth and geospatial sciences major who serves in NCDOT’s Bike/Ped Innovations Unit
- Yahnay Baptiste, an NCCU mass communications major who serves in the NCDOT Office of Civil Rights
- Brandon Beaty, an NCCU biology major who serves in the N.C. DMV Compliance Office
- Nina Barrett, an NCCU public administration major who serves in NCDOT’s Chief Deputy Secretary’s Office
“We have cultivated a fantastic group of talented individuals who have become like family,” said JoAna McCoy, interim director of the Office of HBCU Outreach at NCDOT. “We are extremely proud of the achievements of all of the students who have participated so far and we are excited for the future of the program.”