On Saturday, September 12th, JWI held its 5th mentor meeting of the year, with approximately 50 people in attendance. Robert, Susan, Casey, and Leo from California Transit Works attended to celebrate the program’s progress, document the day, and conduct interviews with Lisa Vickery, Steve Jovel, the mentors, and others involved in the program. They also had the opportunity to capture maintenance and dispatch teams in action.
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The day was filled with meaningful interaction among mentors, management, and ATU representatives. Presentations from other departments within VTA provided valuable opportunities to build connections and strengthen understanding between departments and operators.

It was also encouraging to see that spirit extending beyond operators and into maintenance. Herlinda Macias, who began at VTA as a coach operator before becoming a transit mechanic, spoke about what her experience now allows her to give back: “Being a lead really kind of takes me back to what I want to give back to the people coming in. There’s a lot of experience there, and there’s a lot of things that I did wrong that I would like to share with somebody, so it doesn’t take them 20 years to get there.”

Director Harpreet and coordinators Patricia and Katelyn worked hard behind the scenes to ensure the mentors were not only included but given opportunities to lead meaningful parts of the meeting. Their dedication and behind-the-scenes work do not go unnoticed and are an important part of the program’s continued growth and success.

It was truly inspiring to witness how far the mentor program has come and to see the collective effort, leadership, and worker voice driving it forward.