WTS Philadelphia proudly awards scholarships to outstanding students from high school through graduate school who are passionate about pursuing careers in transportation. These highly competitive awards recognize students for their academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to advancing the future of transportation. This year, we awarded a total of $25,000 in scholarships to support and celebrate the next generation of transportation leaders and innovators.

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Brianna Garyah

Neshaminy High School

WTS Philadelphia Primera Foundation Scholarship Recipient

Brianna Garyah, a senior at Neshaminy High School, is planning to major in Civil Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology after graduation, where she will also play college soccer. She has maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 4.5 weighted GPA throughout high school, earning Honor Roll recognition every year, and 5s on AP exams, including AP U.S. History, AP World History, and AP Calculus AB. Brianna serves as Vice President of the National Honor Society and captain of her soccer team, experiences that have helped her develop leadership and teamwork skills. Her interest in transportation comes from an appreciation for how safety and design impact communities. This interest has been shaped by her father’s experience growing up in Liberia, where infrastructure is limited. She hopes to pursue a career in transportation engineering to help build safer, more efficient systems that connect people.

In her own words, Brianna shares more about her journey and goals:

1. What inspired you to pursue your current field of study or career path?

My interest in transportation was sparked during my junior year physics class. While learning about resonance, my wonderful teacher, Mr. Walter, showed a video of the London Millennium Bridge swaying due to the vibrations caused by people walking. That moment helped me see how physics was used in situations that affect everyday people. I was so amazed that I just really wanted to learn more about how structures are designed to safely support large numbers of people. From then on, I became interested in transportation engineering and how it connects communities, leading me to pursue civil engineering.

2. What does receiving this scholarship mean to you?

Receiving this scholarship allows me to stay focused on my education and career goals. It supports my journey toward becoming a transportation engineer and helps me continue to develop the skills I need. It also gives me confidence that a group of respected individuals in my desired field sees something in me. This whole experience has allowed me to turn what started as a normal day in physics into a career focused on improving how people travel and connect.

3. Why do you think transportation is important to communities?

Transportation is essential because it connects people to opportunities, resources, and each other. Safe and efficient transportation systems improve daily life by making travel more accessible and reliable. They impact people and even goods moving from place to place (the economy relies on efficient transportation). In the future, I hope to help create systems that are safer, more efficient, and beneficial for entire communities.