On-the-job training helps California intern see herself as a future transit CEO

For 18-year-old Viviana Mendoza, internships help young people from low-income backgrounds start to see themselves in high-paying careers. That’s how she began visualizing someday running the agency that employs her father.

When Mendoza was little, the Los Angeles college student aspired to be like her father, a bus attendant who for the past decade has been sweeping out and cleaning LA Metro buses. Mendoza, one of his five daughters, is fascinated with public transportation. 

Her father encouraged her passion, she says, but advised her to set higher goals — to seek to run a transit system, not just work for one.

She took it to heart. Today she’s interning at the office of Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where she is learning how its many departments work together. She’s also studying public affairs and urban planning at Pasadena City College.

She hopes to one day run LA Metro. Her internship, which pays $18 an hour, is a first step. 

California is eagerly promoting such on-the-job learning opportunities. In recent years, it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and internships. Gov. Gavin Newsom said recently the state is on track to create more than 600,000 new apprentice opportunities by 2029.

I recently talked with Mendoza about how she hopes to reach her career goals and how the internship helps. Her comments have been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get involved in this internship program?

In the fall of 2022 I was attending a Kollab Youth master class, which is a Zoom class where professionals share their career pathway. It was there that I met the CEO of Metal Toad, Mr. (Joaquin) Lippincott.  I asked him if he had ever had to fire someone, and he asked me why I would ask that. 

I wanted to know more about what it was like, as someone in charge of a company or agency. Maybe one day I’ll have to make a decision like that.

I then followed up, explaining that I wanted to become the CEO of LA Metro. To my surprise, he offered to introduce me to her! A little less than a year later … she offered me an internship in her office. I began working there the summer before my junior year of high school.

What has the internship done for you so far? What kinds of things have you learned? 

The internship has allowed me to work alongside the CEO’s team, which has exposed me to an array of different aspects that come into play when running a transportation agency. I was able to shadow the CEO in her board meetings, create an operating procedure employees can use for creating a variety of documents and do research on rail station safety. I have been exposed to the many jobs and careers offered at Metro that range from transportation planners to customer care service operators.

It has always been my goal to work at Metro. Now that I am here I hope to continue to branch out, meet people within the company and find my place in it.

I get more experience in the workforce and I’ve taken on more responsibilities. And I have helped my family at home, too. I give them the majority of my paychecks.

Is the program what you imagined at first? What surprised you about it?

I remember being very excited to work so closely with someone I admired very much. I was surprised to learn about how much went on every day; the office is very fast-paced. The CEO is always attending something. I was also happily surprised to see that the office is made up primarily of women. Everyone is extremely friendly, kind and empathetic. They are always willing to share their knowledge with me.

What are some things you are most proud of that you achieved with this training?

I am most proud of the relationships I’ve built with my coworkers. It makes a difference when the people around you genuinely want you to succeed.

I was also very lucky to have been a part of the research being done at Metro. I was able to learn about the environmental changes being done at the WestLake / MacArthur Park station to help make ridership feel safer… It’s the second worst station with safety, second only to Skid Row. There’s a lot of homelessness and drug usage. 

(LA Metro is) trying to figure out how to make it better. They tried implementing changes. They got new lighting with brighter bulbs, bathrooms that sense when there are too many people inside and that are self-cleaning; bear-proof trash cans; more security shifts. They have more people cleaning and they added music to help prevent loitering and help passengers feel safer. They do a lot of surveys and weekly take photos. They also put in security towers to create a sense of surveillance. On the platform they have booths where people can get help for mental health and have clinics on the top level. 

I did my research project on it and did outside research that shows how what was implemented did work. My hope was to encourage other students to use public transit. 

What was hard for you? What are the challenges you overcame?

I would say a challenge would have been balancing school and work … I work about 28-30 hours a week. For school I’m a full-time student. I am prioritizing school, but Metro is also extremely important to me as it’s where I hope to build a career. 

I feel transportation has always been a part of my life. My grandma would take the bus to go to downtown LA. It’s a great way for people to connect. You meet different people on the bus, and what it does for communities that are underserved oftentimes is overlooked.

Financial support for this story was provided by the Smidt Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation.