Photo by John LIvzey

On September 13, three USC students were sponsored to participate in the WTS Los Angeles Chapter reception honoring several national transit leaders, Grace Crunican, General Manager, Bay Area Rapid Transit; Nuria Fernandez, General Manager/CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority; Carolyn Flowers, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration; Neil McFarlane, General Manager, Trimet; and Peter Rogoff, Chief Executive Officer, Sound Transit. These five individuals were able to share with the guests their career trajectory within the transportation world. The evening consisted of an information reception and formal remarks by the leaders.  In her remarks, Grace Crunican addressed the student attendees directly, speaking about the importance of looking to young professionals as the future and the need to continue to mentor them through their careers.

I think I speak for all students in attendance when I say that it was amazing to see how connected the honorees were with one another and the friendships they had forged throughout their careers. We all felt a true sense of community from the attendees. We learned that not only do the established professionals continue to work together to achieve success in their professional world, but that they also dedicate time to mentor young professionals. This is one of the things that makes WTS such a great organization. Every time we attend one of these events, established professionals are genuinely interested in talking to students and other young professionals. They both preach and practice the art of networking. 

Wai Shong Chan, MPA ‘16, described the event as excellent and how great it was to learn from the five main speakers and their organizations. She was very impressed in particular with Ms. Nuria Fernandez and her role at VTA. Chan noted the innovation center Fernandez created that allows Silicon Valley innovators opportunities to partner with VTA and express their ideas on how to improve transit in Santa Clara County. Chan was also grateful to the WTS-LA President for acknowledging by name the USC student presence at the event and their volunteer work for the chapter.

Some of the honorees also spoke of the importance of the ballot measures that will be on the ballot this November and their Diversity & Inclusion initiatives within their respective organizations. They noted that if the measures pass, there will be significant opportunities for different transit agencies to continue to grow and improve access to their communities.

Yurida Ramos

Yurida Ramos is a second year Master of Planning (MPL) student at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.  She currently interns for METRANS Transportation Center as the Events Coordinator and for Los Angeles Council District 14 as a Planning Intern and also serves as the current Communications Chair for the student organization Associated Students of Planning and Development (ASPD). After completing her MPL degree, Ramos hopes to pursue a career in the public sector to improve connectivity through sustainable practices.