The Indiana Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) hosted its second annual scholarship program and recognition breakfast recently.
Four of 11 finalists were presented with $500 scholarships to assist with college tuition.
More than 40 students, from three different Indianapolis school districts attended, including Indianapolis Public Schools, MSD of Pike Township and MSD of Perry Township.
IPS Arsenal Technical High School and Pike High School, each had two students with high scores who received scholarships. They were Kyisha Bond and Eric James from IPS and Aaron Noble and Jenesis Gayden from Pike.
Industry leaders from COMTO corporate sponsors also participated, which includes Indy Truck Sales, IndyGo, Engaging Solutions, Scott Hilliard Kosene, Oatts Trucking and Infrastructure Engineering Inc. Six Indiana professionals were also recognized for their contributions to the transportation industry. The recognition breakfast is the chapter’s largest scholarship fundraiser and it aims to promote the interests of all students in the transportation field, especially those who are underrepresented on the road, in the air, at sea and on the railways.
For more than six years, COMTO Indiana has served the young and talented through in-school training programs. The goal is to introduce tomorrow’s leaders to the opportunities within the field of transportation. The four finalists had to be U.S. citizens going into the 11th or 12th grade, enrolled in an Indiana high school with a minimum 2.5 GPA (unweighted 4.0 scale) and be a member of a racial minority group. The submitted application included an official school transcript, a letter of reference, list of school/community activities and an essay on their career interests and how they relate to transportation.
