Student Leadership Summit (SLS)
Venue
The SLS will be hosted at Southern Market, 100 S. Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603. This unique venue includes a full-service food hall in addition to meeting spaces and is located in downtown Lancaster.
Transportation and Parking
Paid all-day parking is available at numerous parking garages around Lancaster. The closest garages are the Steinman Garage (35 S. Prince Street and Penn Square Garage (28 S. Duke Street). The majority of street parking in the area is permit-only or limited to a maximum of two hours.
Additionally, the Lancaster Amtrak Station is a quick 10-minute bus ride from downtown, which provides frequent service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia via the Keystone Service, each approximately 60 minutes away.
Schedule
All technical sessions will be panel discussions with audience Q&A.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Check In Open | Meet & Greet
The Willow Room – Southern Market
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Welcome & Opening Networking
The Willow Room – Southern Market
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tales from the Entry Level
The Willow Room – Southern Market
The First Year after Graduation – Hear about the typical day in the life of a first-year engineer, transitioning from school to the workforce, and tips on landing that first full-time role.
Tanveer Ahmed, Ph.D. – Engineering Associate at Kittelson & Assoc. Inc. | Ph.D., Penn State University, May 2025
Luke Molnar, EI – Traffic Engineer at Urban Engineers | M.S., Villanova University, May 2024
Ashley Rodney, EI – Traffic Engineer at Wallace Montgomery | B.S., University of Delaware, May 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
Food Hall – Southern Market
Registration by March 27 includes a gift card to use at any of the vendors in the Food Hall!
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM
Oh, the Places Your Career Could Go
The Willow Room – Southern Market
Exploring Career Path Options – Discover different career paths in the private sector, the public sector, or academia, and the impacts of graduate education.
Emily Hufnal, EI – Traffic Safety Engineer at Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT)
Steve Gault, P.E., PTOE – Chief, TSMO Arterials & Planning Section at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
Zhiwei Chen, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Civil, Architectural, & Environmental Engineering at Drexel University
Sarah Adsit, P.E., PTOE – Engineer II – Transportation at Bowman
1:45 PM – 1:55 PM
Break
1:55 PM – 2:40 PM
To EI and Beyond
The Willow Room – Southern Market
Launching into Licensure – Learn more about taking the FE exam, tips and tricks to help you study, and taking the next steps afterward toward PE, PTOE, RSP, and more.
Dane Hagstrom – B.S. Civil Engineering ’26 at Drexel University
Dan Eskinder, EI – Civil Engineer at HNTB
Tyler Hartman, P.E., PTOE, RSP1 – Project Engineer II at RK&K
2:40 PM – 2:50 PM
Break
2:50 PM – 3:35 PM
Internship Insights
The Willow Room – Southern Market
Hands-On Education – Hear from former interns and intern supervisors about their experiences, expectations, resume and interview tips, and converting internships into full-time roles.
Ryan McMahon, EI – M.S. Civil Engineering ’26 at University of Delaware
M. Katerina Medori, EI – M.S. Civil Engineering ’26 at Villanova University
Owen Hitchcock, P.E., PTOE – Project Engineer III at RK&K
Erik Stellato – Traffic Engineer I at RK&K
3:35 PM – 3:45 PM
Break
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM
Speed Networking with Professionals & Closing
The Willow Room – Southern Market
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Break and Travel to Commons on Vine
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Traffic Bowl Pre-Meeting
Commons on Vine – Lancaster Mariott @ Penn Square
THIS MEETING IS REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAFFIC BOWL PARTICIPANTS. We will be going over the competition rules, including some changes for the 2026 season.
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Welcome Reception & MCDITE Traffic Bowl
Commons on Vine – Lancaster Mariott @ Penn Square
7:00 PM
MCDITE Younger Member Social
Marrion Court
Please note that we may not be able to accommodate participants under the age of 21.
Sponsorship
We are pleased to offer sponsorship opportunities for the 2026 MCDITE SLS. Sponsorship support is essential in helping the planning committee deliver a strong and worthwhile experience for all students attending.
| Tier 1 – $100 | ||
| Multiple Available Resume book from student attendees May provide one (1) item for a swag bag handed to students May provide one (1) paper recruiting item (not to exceed 8.5″ x 11″) in SLS folder. May to provide one (1) digital slide (landscape orientation) for marketing your organization in the SLS slide show. Logo featured on SLS website, event boards, and slide show | ||
| Tier 2 – $175 | Folder Sponsor – $125 | Lanyard Sponsor – $125 |
| 3 Available | SOLD OUT – Thanks to Bowman for signing on as the Folder Sponsor! | SOLD OUT – Thanks to Kittelson & Associates for signing on as the Lanyard Sponsor! |
| ALL OF TIER 1 + A 5 minute opportunity to present your organization at the start of one session to attendees (choice of session is first come-first serve) One (1) free registration for the SLS. | ALL OF TIER 1 + Provide marketing folders for the SLS to contain sponsored recruiting items. | ALL OF TIER 1 + Provide lanyards for name badges to be used at the SLS. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Student Leadership Summit originated in the Western District in 2014 and have been hosted across the U.S., Canada, and in the ITE Australia and New Zealand Section. They are planned by students, for students. ITE’s professional members typically provide support through sponsorships and participation in the summit’s program. For more information, visit ITE International.
The SLS is an entirely student focused program that is occurring all day on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Most sessions are focused on professional development topics that are of concern to students (and early career professionals!).
The MCDITE Annual Meeting is our full technical conference, beginning with workshops and technical tours on Wednesday, April 15 and concluding with the final technical sessions on Friday, April 17. Sessions will focus on a variety of primarily technical topics.
These events will overlap at the Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening. The Welcome Reception will include the MCDITE Traffic Bowl.
If you’re a student attendee to the SLS, yes, it is, regardless of whether you are participating in the MCDITE Traffic Bowl or not.
If you’re a professional attendee to the SLS, no, it isn’t. If you are also attending the MCDITE Annual Meeting, then the Welcome Reception is included in your registration for that event. If you are not attending the MCDITE Annual Meeting, you can register to join us just for the Welcome Reception.
No, it isn’t. Registration for the SLS includes events on Wednesday, April 15 only. We respectfully request that you also register for the Annual Meeting using the Student ticket.
Yes! If you are participating in Traffic Bowl on a student team and will also attend the SLS, please complete both the registration form for Traffic Bowl AND register for the SLS using the link at the top of this page. The SLS registration form and Traffic Bowl registration form collect different information that is specific to each activity.
ITE International Collegiate Traffic Bowl
The 2026 Mid-Colonial District Traffic Bowl will be held on April 15, 2026 in Lancaster, PA right after the Student Leadership Summit!
Registration information for the 2026 District Traffic Bowl will be available soon.
What’s the ITE International Collegiate Traffic Bowl?
Each year ITE student chapters from Canada and the United States participate in a competition known as the ITE Collegiate Traffic Bowl. This competition features teams comprised of up to 3 students testing their knowledge of ITE, transportation planning and engineering topics as well as some fun categories. The winners of the ITE district competitions advance to compete in the Collegiate Traffic Bowl Grand Championship, which is conducted annually at the Institute’s International Annual Meeting and Exhibit.
The ITE Mid-Colonial District is proud to host the District-level Traffic Bowl whose winner will attend the ITE Annual Meeting and compete in the International tournament! For more information on the International Traffic Bowl, please visit https://www.ite.org/events-meetings/traffic-bowl/
Past District Traffic Bowl Participants & Winners
Student Poster Competition
The 2026 Mid-Colonial District Student Poster Competition will be held on April 16, 2026 in Lancaster, PA at the 2026 District Annual Meeting!
Present your research and compete with other students for the chance to win cash prizes! Submit your abstract via the form below to enter the competition by January 9, 2026!
Funding
ITE Mid-Colonial District provides $300 to each chartered student chapter per calendar year to use to support chapter activities. ITE Mid-Atlantic Section and ITE Chesapeake and Potomac Section also provide funding.
Student Awards
ITE Mid-Colonial District participates in the ITE International Awards Program, which incorporates multiple student awards. In order to participate in the awards program, student chapters must put together a nomination package and submit it according to the guidelines provided by ITE International and noted below.
Submissions for the Outstanding Student Chapter Award, the Student Chapter Momentum Award, and the ITE Student Paper Award in Honor of Daniel B. Fambro must be submitted by March 1 via email to the District Awards Coordinator (Vivek Hariharan, vivek.hariharan@rsandh.com). Submissions for the HSIS Excellence in Highway Safety Data Award are due May 1 and are made directly to a submission site access via the link above.