Applications open Summer 2026

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Every year, the WTS-DC Chapter offers scholarships, typically ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 each, to deserving female students who represent the bright future of the transportation industry. Select recipients of the WTS-DC scholarships are nominated by the WTS-DC Chapter Board for WTS International award consideration. The WTS International scholarships include the Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship ($10,000), the Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates ($5,000), the Sharon D. Banks Memorial Scholarship ($5,000), the Molitoris Leadership Scholarship for Undergraduates ($5,000), and the Junior College Scholarship ($2,500).

The WTS-DC Scholarship Program: Overview

At WTS-DC, we feel that education is a vital tool to facilitate the advancement of transportation professionals. Every year, WTS-DC awards scholarships to deserving young women and female-identifying professionals who are studying transportation at community college, undergraduate, and graduate programs in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. As a chapter, we believe that giving scholarships is one of the most important things we do.

Donate to the WTS-DC Scholarship Fund

Click here to donate to the WTS-DC Scholarship Fund!

Opportunities to contribute to the WTS-DC Scholarship Fund include:

• Sponsor a “named scholarship” ($2,000 minimum). The scholarship will be named based on you, your organization, or a member of your staff whom you would like to recognize as a benefactor. In addition, your organization will be recognized at our annual Holiday Party and will be prominently featured in our newsletter.
• Sponsor a scholarship ($1,000 minimum). You or your organization will be recognized at our annual Holiday Party and listed in our newsletter.
• Make a donation to the scholarship fund. You or your organization will be considered a Friend of the Scholarship Fund and will be listed in the newsletter.

Please join us in supporting the next generation of female and female-identifying transportation professionals by making a tax-deductible donation to the WTS-DC Scholarship Fund. Donations may be made via check or PayPal at the link above. Please make checks payable to the WTS-DC Scholarship Fund and mail them to:

WTS-DC Chapter
1220 L Street NW, Suite 100-177
Washington, DC 20005

If you or your organization are interested in sponsoring a particular scholarship in whole or in part, please contact Deepika Fields, WTS-DC Scholarship and Fundraising Committee Chair, at [email protected] to discuss options for doing so. Thank you for your support!

2025 WTS-DC Scholarship Awards

In 2025, the chapter awarded $37,000 in scholarships to deserving female and female-identifying students. We honored them at the WTS-DC Holiday Party on December 2, 2025 and several were nominated for WTS International scholarships.

Graduate

• Keunmin Cho, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Transdev)
• Lidya Woldeyesus, Georgetown University (Scholarship sponsored by WSP)*
• Sophie Boumsidia, Georgetown University (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Niping Duan, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Dewberry)
• Homa Haghighi, George Mason University (Scholarship sponsored by HDR)
• Fatemeh Janatabadi, George Mason University (Scholarship sponsored by Burns Engineering)
• Faeze Momeni Rad, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Jacobs)
• Xiaorong Shan, George Mason University (Scholarship sponsored by Boeing)
• Huan Zhou, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Kimley-Horn of DC)

Undergraduate

• Nour Alashwal, George Mason University (Scholarship sponsored by Boeing)
• Kelly Lige, Howard University (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Sophia Baumann, Howard University (Scholarship sponsored by NATA)
• Loor Elbedour, Howard University (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Eden Lee, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)

We would like to again thank our named scholarship sponsors of 2025 for their generous contributions!