Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship 

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Gabriela Gonzalez

Gabriela is a civil engineer with a lifelong passion for building and transforming communities through infrastructure. Growing up in Bolivia, she was immersed in construction from a young age, learning responsibility, leadership, and technical skills alongside her father on projects that provided clean water and improved infrastructure for underserved communities. She became the first woman to graduate with a civil engineering degree and thesis from Universidad Católica Boliviana in San Pablo, breaking barriers for women in technical fields. Gabriela’s experience spans major transportation and infrastructure projects, including a 50-km highway in Sucre, Bolivia and the Illinois Tollway I-490/IL-390 interchange in Chicago. She combines field expertise with project management, utility coordination, and quality oversight to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable infrastructure. Gabriela earned a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She actively mentors future engineers as Chair of Student Outreach for the CMAA Chicago Chapter. She is pursuing a Master of Science in Business Data Analytics at National Louis University and researching the application of AI in construction and transportation to optimize materials, costs, and schedules, with the goal of creating innovative, sustainable solutions and empowering women and minorities in engineering.

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Bridgette Beato Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates

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Anchal Bansal

Anchal is a graduate research assistant at the Complex and Sustainable Urban Networks Lab (CSUN), University of Illinois Chicago, where she is doing research in sustainable transportation systems. She is currently working on the ITAG project for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), developing a user-friendly tool to help transit agencies estimate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Anchal brings experience in climate policy and ESG to her research. She is particularly interested in how data and policy can work together to make public transit cleaner, more inclusive, and better aligned with the needs of all communities. Through her work, she hopes to contribute to practical, evidence-based solutions that support sustainability in transportation. As a first-generation graduate student, Anchal actively demonstrates leadership through her dedication to mentorship, service, and advancing equity in transportation. Alongside her academic and professional pursuits, she enjoys being outdoors, hiking, and camping.

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WTS Molitoris Leadership Scholarship for Undergraduates 

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Kalaya Sriver

Kalaya is a junior at Purdue University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Transportation Engineering with minors in Global Engineering Studies and Spanish for the Professions. Growing up in Chicago without a car, she developed an affinity for public and active transportation. Currently she is working in Chicago as a transportation engineer at Jacobs, completing her third co-op rotation. Her project focuses on urban roadway infrastructure improvements for pedestrian and cyclist safety and mobility and will join the rail team later this year. Kalaya volunteers with the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentors Program, guiding high school students in mock design projects around Chicago. At Purdue she is involved in the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education (GEARE) program and will continue her civil engineering studies for a semester in Quito, Ecuador and participate in a work term in Spain. She was also the communications director for the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Purdue University student chapter. Away from school and work, Kalaya enjoys painting, climbing, knitting, taking photographs, and backpacking.

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Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship

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Gabriela Makuch

Gabriela is a junior studying civil engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In the summer of 2026, she will be starting an intern position with the roadway design team at AECOM, in the downtown Chicago office. Following graduation, Gabriela intends to continue her professional career working on major and large-scale transportation projects across the City of Chicago.

 

 

 

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WTS Chicago Diversity in Transportation Scholarship

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Fateme Hafizi

Fateme is a Ph.D. candidate in Transportation Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Her research focuses on optimizing electric charging infrastructure for drone-based delivery networks, blending innovation, equity, and environmental impact. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Scientific Reports (Nature) and Physica A,  and presented at major conferences including the TRB Annual Meeting, INFORMS Annual Meeting, and the IEOM World Congress. She is actively engaged in the transportation community, serving as Secretary of the ITE Student Chapter at IIT; a journal reviewer for Transportation Research Record, Scientific Records, Transportation, Energy Systems and npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport; a volunteer with the ASCE T&DI Committee;  a Steering Committee Member of Transport Chicago; and a former Secretary of the IIT Railroad Club. Through these roles, she promotes inclusion and supports her peers academically and professionally. Fateme is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including scholarships from ITE, COMTO, and WTS. As a researcher, educator, and mentor, she is dedicated to creating equitable and sustainable transportation solutions while inspiring the next generation of engineers to lead meaningful change.

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WSP USA Junior College Scholarship 

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Giulia Scarnavack

Giulia is graduating from Moraine Valley Community College with an associate’s degree in engineering science. In the fall, she will continue her education at the University of Illinois-Chicago and will pursue a bachelor’s in civil engineering. Giulia aims to become a transportation engineer and seeks to expand inner city public transit, something that impacts the movement of tens of thousands of people daily such as the CTA Red Line Extension. For the STEM Skyway Poster Competition, Giulia’s project focused on designing a wildlife crossing bridge enabling animals to safely cross over busy roads that traverse their habitats. Matching with her career goals, this project combines her passion of engineering and transportation with environmental protection. Giulia is grateful for the assistance that this committee has awarded her. She is excited for the next step in her educational journey – and to take the CTA!  

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SINGH + ASSOCIATES Transportation YOU High School Scholarship 

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Megan Imherr

Megan is a senior at Prospect High School aims for a career in urban and regional planning. Through her experience in the Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), she learned about improvements to transportation infrastructure and community across Chicago neighborhoods. Megan developed a passion for making sustainable, equitable change through planning. Her community involvement and outreach experience includes serving as a social media director for her high school service club and as the Associate Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper, where she connects, writes, and shares the stories of community members. Outside of academics, she has also participated in golf and track and field throughout all four years of high school.

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Atlas Engineering Group WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship

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Maryam Yousefibaseri

Maryam is a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois Chicago in the Sustainable Transportation Research Lab,conducting research in transportation planning. For the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), she is working on a project to improve access to healthcare services in rural areas. Maryam’s research examines transportation barriers, service delivery gaps, and service quality impacts on patient well-being. In addition to the patient’s point of view, she explores issues from the perspectives of healthcare and transportation providers. She shows how seemingly small disruptions in service delivery can create cascading effects across the system, reinforcing the idea that these challenges are not merely logistical but deeply systemic.  Underscoring her interest in this field, she is also a member of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Transportation in Rural Areas (AQC16), which focuses on the unique transportation challenges and needs of rural communities, including public and specialized transportation services.

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Benesch WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship 

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Danuta Carvalho

Danuta is a freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering. She is passionate about developing sustainable and equitable transportation systems that improve accessibility for underserved communities. As a member of Engineers Without Borders, Danuta is involved in designing and implementing infrastructure solutions for rural communities. In addition to my academic and service involvement, she is a member of the Illini Track and Field and Cross-Country Club, where she trains and competes. Danuta aspires to pursue a career in transportation engineering with a focus in creating sustainable infrastructure that ensures accessible transportation for all communities. 

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CDM Smith WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship

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Sarah Michalak  

Sarah is an operational data analyst with United Airlines and the Culture Chair for BRIDGE, United's employee organization supporting individuals with disabilities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in science in aviation management and three minors in marketing, airport management & planning, and communication studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU). Sarah is now pursuing her master’s in business administration at SIU. During her undergraduate studies, she delivered a TEDx Talk on barriers to entry in aviation and chaired three national student organizations. Owing to the leadership skills she developed in these roles, Sara is committed to new passion projects such as Wings For All, providing passengers with disabilities with the opportunity to learn how to navigate the airport experience. She also volunteers with Traveler's Aid, assisting weekend travelers in wayfinding at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and with the Chicago Canine Rescue, fostering older dogs who just need a little more specialized love.

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GFT WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship

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Sijia Li   

Sijia is a Master’s student in Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a research assistant in Professor Eleftheria Kontou’s group. She researches sustainable and equitable transportation systems, emphasizing electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure planning and data-driven mobility analysis. Sijia currently contributes to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)–sponsored project Economic, Environmental, and Equity Outcomes Assessment of the Electric Vehicle Charging Network Expansion in Illinois (ICT R27-280). Her work involves geospatial data processing, modeling of electrified miles, and integration of socioeconomic factors to evaluate statewide EV infrastructure benefits. Sijia’s broader research interests include transportation electrification, accessibility, and the intersection of technology and policy for sustainable mobility transitions.

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HNTB WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship 

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Teniola Ajagbe

Teniola is a rising sophomore at Northwestern University where she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration. At Northwestern, she is a Hodge EXCEL Scholar, a selective engineering enrichment program, and a member of NUSolar, a Northwestern’s student-led solar car engineering team. From a young age, she has been interested in space exploration, which inspires her academic and professional pursuits. Upon completing her degree, she hopes to contribute to the future of space transportation by building spacecraft that will change how people can experience the universe.

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Jacobs WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship 

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Aniba Coleman

Aniba is top ranked as 3rd in her graduating class and currently maintains a 5.0 GPA. She aspires to be an airline pilot. In achieving this goal, Aniba has started her flight training through Tuskegee NEXT and the Aerostar Avion Institute, two Chicago-area aviation programs supporting high school and college students. Currently, she is participating in college aviation days. Aniba also volunteers at local events to broaden her experience and expand her reach. She also enjoys inspiring others by sharing her story.

 

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Michael Baker International WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship 

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Nahumy Iniguez

Nahumy is a senior at Corliss High School, graduating as the valedictorian of her class and maintaining high academic standards throughout her high school years. Hardworking and dedicated, she is known at Corliss for being the youngest Hispanic female to earn a drone license, for serving as the commander of JROTC, and for serving as president of the National Honor Society. Attending classes at Olive Harvey College, Nahumy is also graduating with an associate’s degree in aviation maintenance. She is proud to be the first in her family to graduate from both high school and college. After high school, she will attend University of Illinois-Chicago and plans to become a mechanical engineer. Nahumy’s greatest strength lies in her ability to stay focused and thoughtful. She approaches every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. Her personal motto is: “Success comes when you've mastered the skill of networking.” Nahumy strives to build meaningful connections and learn from others to continue improving.

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TYLin WTS Chicago President’s Scholarship

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Xiaoyu Yan   

Xiaoyu is a Ph.D. candidate in Transportation Systems at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on leveraging agentic AI, optimization, and large-scale mobility data to address complex transportation challenges and advance more equitable mobility systems. She studies challenges in paratransit, autonomous mobility, and transit policy design, developing AI-enabled and data-driven methods to improve system efficiency, accessibility, and decision-making. Through her work, Xiaoyu aims to bridge advanced AI techniques with transportation practice to create smarter, more inclusive, and human-centered mobility solutions. She earned her bachelor’s in engineering in civil engineering from Zhejiang University and her bachelor’s in science in civil engineering, with highest honors, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Beyond her research, Xiaoyu is committed to mentorship, community building, and expanding opportunities for women in transportation. She has mentored undergraduate students in transportation research and serves as President of the Northwestern Transportation Club, where she organizes research talks, professional events, and site visits that connect students with transportation practitioners. Through both her scholarship and service, she hopes to help shape a transportation future that is more accessible, inclusive, and inspiring.

 

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Previous Scholarship Recipients

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