Approximately 60 students at an under-resourced high school in Dallas got an inside look at the diverse opportunities in the construction industry, thanks to an effort led by DPR volunteers to engage youth through educational outreach both inside and outside the classroom.

Casey Cox, a concrete project engineer with DPR’s self-perform work group, helped spearhead the outreach effort geared toward students at Woodrow Wilson High School. Drawing from his own past experience working with a high school youth ministry, Cox worked to accomplish the effort’s overall goal: to apply one of DPR’s key tenets of making a difference and helping build the future workforce through career and education guidance to local youth.

DPR's Brendan Hastings teaches a class about construction innovation at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas. (Photo courtesy: Brendan Hastings)

“We wanted to partner with a strong STEM school to bring DPR’s work into the classroom, as well as give the students an opportunity to experience a day-in-the-life by taking them out to one of our actual jobsites,” said Cox. “Taking the time to expose these students to what it’s like working in the real world around industry professionals provided insight on a career in the construction business, and more importantly, spurred confidence as they consider life after graduation.”

Cox reached out to the Digital Realty Trust team to be part of this community initiative, which so far has included two in-class lessons and a jobsite tour. DPR project manager Brendan Hastings led the first classroom presentation on innovation and technology in the construction industry, where he spoke to about 60 students in Woodrow Wilson’s architecture and civil engineering class in early November.

Students from Woodrow Wilson High School tour a DPR project site in the Dallas area. (Photo courtesy: Brad Barton)

After the first classroom presentation, students visited the Digital Realty data center project in the Dallas area. They not only had the chance to experience an active construction project firsthand, but were also able to hear from various workers about their jobs and pathways into the industry. The DPR team enjoyed the students’ genuine curiosity and articulate questions.

DPR volunteers returned after Thanksgiving to deliver a second lesson focused on MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing) coordination, and plan to keep coming back to spotlight different aspects of construction, as they use our work building great things to help educate the leaders of tomorrow.