DOT Interns Dycota Robinson, Stacy Stephens, and Jonathan Valerio with Tiffany Bailey, Academic Internship Specialist (2nd from left).
On December 19, 2014, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) in collaboration with the City University of New York held its inaugural cohort completion ceremony at the CUNY Central office. Sixteen CUNY students were honored with trophies and certificates for excellence in the Sidewalk Inspection Management (SIM) internship at the DOT.
The Office of Partnerships & Community Engagement placed Guttman students Stacy Stephens (Liberal Arts), Dycota Robinson (Liberal Arts), and Jonathan Valerio (Urban Studies) in the SIM Sidewalk Inspection Management internship program for Fall I. Students were paid $19 per hour, and their duties included:
- Survey steps and streets throughout all boroughs of New York City.
- Inspect conditions of deteriorating steps and sidewalks.
- Track pedestrian traffic and update the Step Street status using Microsoft Excel.
- Utilize ArcGIS to record information; record and maintain virtual files of photos and scanned Step Street.
- Research DOT databases and programs for area information and data.
At the ceremony Leon Heyward, Deputy Commissioner of Sidewalk and Inspection Management, and Freida Foster, Trustee of the City University of New York, encouraged students to continue their education to achieve success in their future careers. Deborah Douglas, Executive Director of Education and Training Opportunity Programs at CUNY, and Keith Howard, Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Department of Transportation, were instrumental in making this opportunity available to Guttman students.
