Toyota Co-Op Engineering Student Breaks the Mold, Piloting a Unique Mobile STEM Program For Area Schoolkids To Expand an Already Wildly Successful In-School Innovation Lab

We know a winner when we spot one, and Allison Keith is a winner. She’s in her fourth year of a mechanical engineering program at the University of Cincinnati, and on her fourth co-op program. Companies and employees can also spot a person who is going places, and it is no surprise to us that her latest co-op is with Toyota Kentucky’s in-plant think tank, known as the TILT Lab.

Toyota has partnered with school systems around America to enable STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning at the very earliest stages of grade school. We visited the North Gibson School system, hosted by its Superintendent, Dr. Eric Goggins, and learned first-hand how first-grade students can learn to program and operate 3D printers and three different types of robots. What is most surprising is the amount of enjoyment the kids experienced while operating all this high-tech equipment.

The program is a smashing success, but not every school system can manage the program right now. Rather than waiting for staffing and funding, Toyota's outreach team proposed to bring the STEM experience to the students using a STEM learning trailer. Pulled by a Toyota Tundra, of course. Allion is a key person in this mission. She has supported the project through developing CAD drawings for the trailer layout and creating work instructions for the activities, and has already begun building and testing the displays and activities that the trailer will haul to the schools.

Allison took time from her crowded schedule to sit with us and discuss her project, as well as how Toyota is helping the communities around its plants and beyond.

TN: What drew you to Toyota Kentucky as a co-op student? Had you been a co-op student worker at other companies or at Toyota before this?
AK:  I was drawn to Toyota by chance in 2019; they were at my career fair at UC, where I talked to the recruitment team - I interviewed and started at TMMK as an engineer in stamping. This was my first co-op of my college career. It went great, and I then moved to Toyota R&D, where I also loved it. I then left Toyota because I wanted to try working at a company located in my hometown, Cincinnati. I spent a semester at Duke Energy. I returned to Toyota and am currently working in the TILT Lab.

TN: Can you give us an understanding of the project you are working on? 
AK: My project is a community outreach program that combines the engineering skills and utilities we use in the plant and adapts them to be understandable for children, fostering interest in STEM-related topics. The world needs more engineers, and for many of us, this interest begins at a young age; however, many kids lack the resources to explore the field properly. Through the STEM program, we volunteer at schools, K-12 and university levels, to provide missing resources to the surrounding communities.

TN: How have the static displays your team has created been accepted by students?
AK: Students have loved our displays and activities. It is amazing, and frankly impressive, to see kids become creative and tactical when they are handed a STEM-related activity. Many of the students we visited have asked if we can come back to their classrooms!

TN: You are clearly a technical person. Did you experience anything of this sort when you were a kid? 
AK: Like many children today, I did not have the same resources growing up. STEM was not nearly as encouraging for young girls as it is now, so I didn't typically have anything that engaged the STEM part of my brain. This being said, my dad was an architect and very technically minded. My interest in the STEM field started mildly when I was about 8 or 9 years old - my favorite toys were Tinker Toys, Legos, and Lincoln Logs. Eventually, this interest adapted into home projects, such as redoing my basement with my dad — then, when I turned 16, I got my first car. Working on that car is what made me realize that I wanted to work on cars for a living. I wish I'd had access to a STEM program as a kid. It would have allowed me to be creative and explore my interests outside of the classroom. Now, with my younger self in mind, I have been developing 30+ STEM activities for the Toyota STEM Trailer.

TN: Where did the funding for your project originate? Is it planned for completion and implementation? Or is it a study of concept?
AK: Toyota's community outreach has always been volunteer-driven, with involvement in events like Career Days and STEM Days. However, we lacked a dedicated program for this effort. Instead, we spent our own time developing materials to showcase how technology is applied in manufacturing at schools. Toyota's slogan "Dream. Do. Grow." is the foundation of the STEM Program. After case studies, the Toyota team decided to move forward with this project. It is not just a concept now - it is planned for completion. We are in the testing phase and plan to fully roll out the STEM Trailer as a service that schools can request. The plan is to be on the road by mid-November, depending on the timeline of our custom trailer, which we are currently having made.

TN: Having worked with the Toyota team, can you tell our readers what you think of the Toyota culture as you have experienced it?
AK: I love the Toyota culture. Toyota has one of the strongest (if not the strongest) commitments to its people, as evidenced by its near-zero rate of layoffs. On top of its stability and benefits, Toyota also stands out for its commitment to making a positive impact on the community, which aligns with the purpose of the STEM program. Toyota's "Let's go places" is a fundamental part of our culture. We strive to help every individual reach their goals, no matter how daunting they may feel. For example, we have several general managers who were once Team Members working on the production lines. Kerry Creech, the Plant President, started on the line 36 years ago. They would never have thought they could reach that level of responsibility in the company. By working hard, you can achieve your goals at Toyota.

TN: What would you say about the Toyota people that you have worked with? Are they mentoring you? Who has been your primary mentor, if so?
AK: I love working with the TILT lab team. I have been with Toyota for 4 years now as a co-op, and I have never had a bad experience with the people here. People are trained well, and part of what makes this "ecosystem" work so well is that we aren't just trained on the culture and the Toyota Way; we all see how it improves our lives right in front of us, and everyone has their own individual incentive for why they stay here at Toyota, practicing the company culture every day. TILT Lab Chief and Toyota Senior Analyst Tom Wipert is my mentor, and he is a leading expert in his field. It has been a pleasure to have the guidance of such a wise and humble individual.

TN: After you finish up school, be it a BS, MS, or perhaps even a higher level of study, what do you envision for yourself?
AK: After I finish school, I plan to work here at Toyota full-time and focus on my career growth for a few years. Then, through Toyota's college programs, I plan to pursue an MBA while working and eventually move into management. 

We extend our thanks to Allison for taking the time to help us understand the Toyota culture, its community STEAM program, and its future evolution. 

John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his fourteen years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools. 

Story Note: The author met Allison Keith in person at the TILT Lab and followed up to create this story. Images are by John Goreham and Allison Keith. Where students' faces are shown, the students' parents have granted image permission.