We are no longer accepting applications for 2025. This year's scholarship recipients will be celebrated at the WTS-DC Holiday Party on December 2, 2025 - we hope you will join us!

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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).

2025 Scholarship Eligibility Information & Applications

Scholarships are due in early October each year. The 2025 deadline was Friday, October 10, 2025. Please direct any questions to the [email protected].

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 Alanna McKeeman, WTS-DC Scholarship and Fundraising Committee Chair, at [email protected] to discuss options for doing so. Thank you for your support!

2024 WTS-DC Scholarship Awards

In 2024, the chapter awarded $36,500 in scholarships to deserving female and female-identifying students. We honored them at the WTS-DC Holiday Party on December 3, 2024 and several were nominated for WTS International scholarships.

Graduate

• Neda Ghamari, Catholic University of America (Scholarship sponsored by Jacobs)
• Cher Griffith Taylor, Georgetown University (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Zahra Halimi, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Dewberry)
• Hoda Hallaji, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by the Kimley-Horn of DC)
• Marta Perez Vidal-Ribas, Virginia Tech (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Raven Royal, Louisiana State University- Shreveport, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Safoura Safari, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by ATCS)
• Narjes Shayesteh, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Burns Engineering)
• Sydney Sotelo, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by WSP)
• Yi Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park (Scholarship sponsored by Boeing)

Undergraduate

• Jenny Eattock, Catholic University of America (Scholarship sponsored by Boeing)
• Kira Harrison, Virginia Tech (Scholarship sponsored by NATA)
• Bronwyn Horgan, George Mason University (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)
• Jyle Milstead, Catholic University of America (Scholarship sponsored by Boeing)
• Fatima Omarjee-Chavez, George Mason University (Scholarship sponsored by WTS-DC Chapter)

Junior College

• Ghezal Kohestani, Northern Virginia Community College (Scholarship sponsored by HDR)

We would like to again thank our named scholarship sponsors of 2024 for their generous contributions!