Congratulations to our Western District Scholarship Winner, Rebecca Riley! She received one of the two awards the District provided this year. See below for his summary of her time at the conference!

“During the 2024-2025 academic year, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant at Gonzaga University for Dr. Rhonda Kae Young, Ph.D., PE.  My research focused on climate-change-induced extreme weather events and their effects on public and active transportation systems.  I was originally interested in this research because I wanted to gauge my interest in the field of transportation. Dr. Young encouraged me to submit a paper to the International Transportation Engineers (ITE) Western District Annual Meeting, and subsequently, my paper was selected to be presented at the Conference.

This was my first experience attending a professional engineering conference, and I had no idea what to expect. On Sunday I arrived at the first event, the Kell Competition, imagining just a handful of students who might be as inexperienced as I was. Oh, was I wrong. In the first few hours I met dozens of students from schools all over the Western District that seemed to live and breathe transportation. There was a student with buses on their hat, another with binders full of transit cards, and one who could name every train in my own hometown of Boston on the other side of the country (something I certainly could not do). Since I was the lone student representative from Gonzaga, this experience could have been intimidating and isolating.  However, I was immediately “adopted” by other student teams and made to feel welcome, despite being a complete novice in the subject.

Over the Conference I attended technical sessions covering a wide range of topics from achieving safe speeds, the noise production of speed bumps, complete streets, the electric cargo bike industry, and the Port of Long Beach. In addition to strengthening my understanding of industry topics, I wanted to learn as much as I could about how other student chapters operated and what professional opportunities there were in the transportation industry. I attended the student Speed Networking Workshop, the Career Guidance Panel Session, and the Student Chapter Best Practices Workshop. Along with professional development and learning opportunities, the week also provided ample opportunities for just having fun, including playing Jenga at Family Night on the Queen Mary, dancing at the Awards Banquet, and enjoying fried chicken with other student chapters on the beach.

Yes, and I did finally get a chance to present my research paper, on the last day and the last session. Although my presentation did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, I did learn that an incredible support system can be found in ITE members.

Although learning more about transportation was rewarding, my most impactful experience was meeting fellow Conference attendees.  Over the four short days in Long Beach, I met outstanding students and professionals who were eager to share with me their enthusiasm about the world of transportation. Those encounters have made an impression on me and have certainly shaped my thoughts about my eventual career in civil engineering. With every conversation or interview with professionals, I always ask the same question, “Do you love your job?”  Often the answer is noncommittal and unenthusiastic.  However, at the ITE Conference, I was struck by the overwhelming majority of professionals who were passionate about their career. Similarly, my student peers were clearly eager and ready to take the transportation industry by storm. I could sense the spirit of community that is brought about by the shared goal of improving public health and safety.

I want to thank the Committee for awarding me the Student Regional Travel Scholarship that made my attendance at the Conference possible. This was a truly rewarding experience. I am now excited to return to Gonzaga and share with my classmates the opportunities that the ITE Western District has to offer. I hope that next year Gonzaga will be able to increase their turnout at the Annual Meeting. Two whole students would double our team, but I will try to do better than that!”