Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship 

 

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Raguez Taha

Raguez Taha is a Ph.D. candidate in the Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Laboratory at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). She is engaged in research related to the development of acoustic emission MEMS sensors and nondestructive evaluation of additive manufacturing parts. Her primary focus is on investigating the viability of utilizing 2-D image reconstruction and 3-D printed metal in structural rehabilitation, with the goal of enhancing structural integrity while minimizing environmental impact. She hopes to explore the applicability of using 2-D image reconstruction to improve current inspection standards. In addition to her research pursuits, Raguez is passionate about teaching and has contributed to engineering education through teaching roles and outreach activities. Committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in engineering, she actively engages in outreach initiatives aimed at underrepresented groups, striving to create a more equitable and vibrant engineering community. Post-graduation, Raguez aims to leverage her industry experience to create a dynamic classroom environment that bridges the gap between theory and practice.

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Jannet Walker-Ford Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates

 

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Kim Jarosz

Kim’s academic achievements and diverse professional experiences showcase her dedication toward improved representation and advancement of women’s equity within the industry. She strives to influence change in our workplaces by obtaining her MBA and promoting policies that address critical issues such as the wage gap and advocate for fair family leave. Her passion for driving positive change to the industry can be seen in her role on the Central Tri-State DCM Team as the youngest member in a leadership capacity. In her current role at Parsons, she is leading major bridge contracts such as the I-80 Mississippi River Bridge and Centennial Bridge in District 2. As a “Girls in STEAM” volunteer, Kim presented on transportation technology and innovation to GEMS World Academy and CPS students. She has mentored and judged Gems Global Design Challenge – a competition to plan, debate, and build solutions for world issues such as poverty, gender equality, clean water, and sanitation. As three-time Canstruction Team Leader, she collected over 70,000 cans of tuna for donation to the Chicago food bank.  

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WTS Molitoris Leadership Scholarship for Undergraduates 

 

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Matiana De Alba

Matiana De Alba is a sophomore currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering with a minor in Spanish at Purdue University. With the goal of helping nurture a diverse and thriving engineering community, Matiana is involved in campus initiatives such as being a Mentor for Algebra by 7th Grade, a program that helps students in minority schools achieve a deeper understanding of math and prepare for algebra in junior high. She is also a first-generation college student and serves as the vice president of the First-Generation Engineering Student Advisory Board and as president of Women in Aerospace. She is passionate about pursuing a master's degree in future and contributing to the advancement of sustainable technologies in aviation, including working with carbon-free propulsion systems.

 

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Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship

 

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Sarah Michalak

Sarah is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) with a triple minor in marketing, communication studies, and airport management and planning. Interning at United Airline's headquarters as an Airport Operations Specialist II, she conducts twice-weekly nighttime airfield inspections for the FAA. Working two other jobs during school, Sara gives tours to incoming students as an Aviation Ambassador and working as a Faculty Assistant to help professors at SIUC apply for grants, comply with accreditations, and launch a revitalized social media campaign. Interested in airport operations, she is the vice president of two student organizations and serves as president of the SIU chapter, coordinating student attendance for conferences nationwide and monthly airport tours in the Midwest. Sarah spent her summers assisting passengers as a Traveler’s Aid volunteer at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and spearheaded the Salutes for Soldiers Project, facilitating gratitude letters from schools to veterans. Her proudest accomplishment is her work in Washington D.C. and her TEDx Talk on mental health in aviation. Sarah aims to advance the way mental health is viewed in aviation and influence legislation for the betterment of society globally.

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WTS Chicago Diversity in Transportation Scholarship

 

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Sindhusuta

Sindhusuta is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil, Materials & Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), working in the field of computational mechanics. Her research is focused on using numerical modeling & simulation to gain an improved understanding of mechanisms responsible for generation of deep-focus earthquakes. Sindhusta’s in the field of civil engineering began with a bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in India. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., she acquired three years of invaluable experience as a structural engineer at Bechtel Corporation, refining practical skills and gaining industry insights.  She further aims to combine her knowledge in computational mechanics and structural engineering to contribute to advancements in the design of robust and resilient infrastructure systems.

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WTS President's Scholarships

 

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Slyia Waechter

Sylvia is a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) with minors in geographic information systems, civic analytics, and Spanish. She is heavily involved in the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs as a founding member of the Society of Undergraduate Urban and Policy Students (SOUUPS) as well as an active member of the WTS UIC student chapter. Sylvia spent the spring 2024 semester continuing her urban studies education in Berlin, Germany, and will continue her time abroad this June studying Spanish in Alcala de Henares, Spain. Sylvia is driven by a passion for public transportation planning, viewing it as a crucial tool for fostering equitable, accessible, and sustainable cities.

 

 

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Gretchen Bella

Gretchen is a third-year Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University studying transportation engineering. She received her bachelor’s in science from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019. She went on to work as a transportation engineer in Houston, TX, for two years before returning to further her studies in graduate school. Her graduate research centers on the connections between public health and transportation access, especially for underserved populations.

 

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Junior College Trade School Scholarship 

 

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Jillian McNally

Jillian is currently a sophomore at Joliet Junior College and received her Associate of Science and Associate of Arts in December 2023. She is a part of the women’s college basketball team, where she was named to the 2023 All-Academic Team. She will be transferring to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) this fall to pursue a degree in civil engineering. She spent last summer interning on a project with a diverging-diamond interchange in Joliet, IL, and will be spending this summer doing design work in Chicago with Civiltech Engineering.

 

 

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Transportation YOU High School Scholarship 

Melany Corona

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WTS Chicago Executive Partnership Scholarships 

 

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Karen Milroy

Karen is a Master of Urban Planning and Policy candidate with a focus on economic development at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). At her university she serves as a graduate assistant for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. Her wonderment for cities and nature alike ignited her passion for sustainable urban planning and fervor to tackle intricate urban challenges. In her studio class she serves as a project manager for a climate action plan in a neighboring Chicago suburb, concentrating on transportation, energy, resilience, and community outreach. Karen has a keen interest in resuscitating historical architecture, implementing sustainable practices, and designing reliable transportation systems to cultivate enlivened and interconnected communities.

 

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Fatemeh Noorizadehsalout

Fatemeh is currently pursuing a master’s in urban planning and policy, focusing on urban transportation, and working as a research assistant at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)'s Urban Transportation Center (UTC). As an emerging urban planner, she is deeply enthusiastic about ensuring that streets are accessible to everyone regardless of age, ability, income, gender, race, or mode of travel. Her goal is to address issues of fairness and sustainability by creatively improving the conditions for public transportation, walking, and biking through innovative infrastructure approaches. She aspires to acquire advanced skills that empower her to contribute to the development of cities that offer benefits to all individuals.

 

 

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Fateme Hafizi

Fateme is a first-year Ph.D. student in civil engineering with a focus on transportation engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Her research interests lie in leveraging optimization, data analytics, and machine learning for transportation planning and management. Fateme is currently working on a project exploring the design of electric charging infrastructure for drones. She has published her previous research in different scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. In addition, Fateme has given several presentations at various conferences. As a young female engineer in her early career who wants to break down barriers and contribute to the diversity in the transportation field, she is enthusiastic about the opportunity to progress in her own career and inspire and encourage others in this field.

 

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Sanaz Kazemzadehazad

Sanaz is pursuing her second Ph.D. in transportation engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Throughout her 12-year career in civil engineering and transportation in both the private and public sectors, she has been motivated by a strong desire to enhance road safety. She graduated with her first Ph.D. in highway engineering, working on driver behavior models to address the alarming number of traffic-related deaths in her country, Iran, in 2019. Now, she is following her goals toward reshaping transportation for a safer, more sustainable future, involving two projects: the IDOT-funded project "Transit Signal Priority (TSP)" to enhance public transit efficiency and "Pandemic-resistant Ride-Hailing Platforms" to manage travel demand during global health crises. Sanaz intends to work in the transportation data science field with a focus on extending her travel behavior modeling experience, redesigning the existing public transit systems, and integrating new mobility technologies, focusing on autonomous vehicles.

 

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Chenxi Xu

Chenxi Xu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Laboratory at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She also serves as the vice president of the UIC chapter of the Illinois Asian-American Civil Engineers. Her research focuses on the development and application of ultrasonic and acoustic emission methods to identify and assess degradation in complex structures within harsh environments. Her current research interests include utilizing advanced NDE methods to detect the piping systems of sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactors at high temperatures. She is eager to apply her skills and knowledge to advance the field of structural health monitoring, aiming to ensure the safety and resilience of infrastructures.

 

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Haley Ventura

Haley is completing her master’s in urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and is specializing in transportation planning. During her undergraduate degree at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, her passion for urban planning and public transportation sparked while volunteering and working with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Americorps, and Teach for America. While pursuing her master’s degree, she has focused on expanding her theoretical and technical skills and is especially interested in geospatial and data analysis. This past year she interned with the Service Planning Department at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) where she improved performance data analysis processes for equity metrics. She aspires to have a career in transportation that focuses on improving transit service, accessibility, and safety to our transportation systems for all communities.

 

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Felicity Crowder

Feliciti is a third-year undergraduate student studying Urban Studies and minoring in Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She is also an intern at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), completing year-long terms in the Compensation and Rail Operations department and completing her final internship term with the CTA Board Office. Feliciti has participated in a Transit Equity Workshop where she worked with other UIC students to research and highlight safety and equity disparities associated with the CTA’s #157 Streeterville Bus Line in the North Lawndale neighborhood, as well as participated in the IYAI+ 2023 Innovation Challenge. Feliciti’s passions are the public transit industry, community engagement, and equity-based initiatives that provide sustainable solutions for historically underserved communities.

 

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Kayla Sriver

Kalaya is a first-year engineering student with an intended focus in civil engineering at Purdue University. Her primary interests are in public transit, urban planning, and high-speed rail. In the fall of 2024, she will begin a 5-rotation co-op experience with Jacobs as a civil engineer. During her 2023 internship with the High-Speed Rail Alliance, she researched and learned about various in-progress passenger rail projects around the United States, as well as across the globe. In summer 2022, she studied abroad in Zaragoza, Spain, and is pursuing a Spanish language minor along with her engineering major. Kalaya is also the design lead of her team with the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) learning community as well as a member of the Women in Engineering living learning community.

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Previous Scholarship Recipients
 

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