Five UCLA students win WTS-LA scholarships

Recognizing transportation as a male-dominated field, Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International leads the way in supporting, mentoring and connecting women who intend to pursue careers in transportation planning and engineering. Through scholarships, membership events, professional and leadership development, and numerous other resources, WTS aims to promote a more inclusive and equitable workforce.

Over the past decade, the Los Angeles chapter (WTS-LA) has awarded scholarships worth more than half a million dollars in total to promising high school, community college, undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom were associated with UCLA.

UCLA graduate students recently received five of these competitive awards in recognition of their accomplishments and expected contributions to the transportation field. Along with financial support, the scholarships open up the opportunity for greater involvement in WTS-LA and important connections with transportation professionals.

Monisha Reginald

Monisha Reginald, who’s currently pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), was awarded one of the top scholarships from WTS-LA, the Myra L. Frank Memorial Scholarship. One of Reginald’s primary interests in transportation is improving the safety, comfort and convenience of sustainable modes of transportation. Along with juggling roles on multiple research projects for the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, Reginald is working on completing a master’s capstone project focused on shade and lighting at bus stops in Los Angeles through a gender equity lens.

Alejandra Rios Gutierrez

Alejandra Rios Gutierrez, who is working toward concurrent master’s degrees in urban planning and Latin American Studies, was awarded the AECOM Richard S. Newman Scholarship. This past summer, Rios Gutierrez interned at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy in Mexico City, where she helped with bus rapid transit and bicycle infrastructure planning. Maintaining her focus on mobility justice and transportation equity, she is working on a capstone project with Pacoima Beautiful about extreme commutes, along with a Latin American Studies thesis on the experiences and safety concerns of queer transit riders in Mexico City.

Yu-Chen Chu

MURP student Yu-Chen Chu was awarded the Berg & Associates, Inc. Scholarship and aims to pursue work on implementing innovative mobility solutions. While at UCLA, Chu has gained valuable experience working with the UCLA Mobility Lab, AECOM and the Culver City Transportation Department. Her master’s capstone project will examine the role of sidewalk autonomous delivery robots in reducing traffic and emissions. Chu said: “The WTS scholarship is instrumental in supporting my studies and offering engagement opportunities with seasoned professionals, mentors, and peers.”

Casey Chung

MURP student Casey Chung, winner of the Kimley-Horn Scholarship, is passionate about improving the accessibility of active and public transportation in underserved communities. Chung has worked as an intern for the Orange County Transportation Authority for over a year, and she also assists with research projects at the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. She participated in a two-week transportation academy with WTS Orange County in August and received a scholarship from their chapter as well.

Rebecca Saavedra Swint

Rebecca Saavedra Swint, a second-year MURP student, was awarded the WTS-LA & The Solis Group Scholarship. Some of her primary goals within transportation planning are to promote multimodal travel and active transportation in Los Angeles and to help make the city feel safer for everyone, especially those without cars. “The generous support of WTS-LA made it possible for me to pursue graduate school in the first place, because I also won their Back to School Scholarship in 2020,” she said. “I am a non-traditional returning student and former foster youth, and scholarships like these are vital for students like me who would not be able to afford higher education otherwise.”