OTREC would like to congratulate Heba Alwakiel and Mariah VanZerr for receiving the 2009 WTS Portland Scholarships. The WTS Annual Meeting will be held in Seattle, May 20-22, and the OTREC Education Program will cover the costs for the scholarship winners to attend.

HEBA ALWAKIEL

Heba Alwakiel is a Civil Engineering graduate student from Portland State University who will be graduating in 2010. The committee was impressed by Heba’s drive to eventually pursue a Ph.D., as she believes that “the best person is one who learns and teaches what she learned to others.” Heba excels in er academic work while also serving as a Graduate Research Assistant, participating in groups such as STEP and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and volunteering for WTS. Heba worked in Egypt as a civil engineer from 1999 to 2007, where she worked on a variety of projects. In her personal statement, Heba said she grew up in a country suffering from severe transportation problems. This led her to seek graduate transportation studies in the United States. In a recommendation letter, one professor wrote that WTS’ investment in Heba, “…would be multiplied many times as she matures into a promising young professional.”

MARIAH VANZERR

Mariah graduated in June 2009 with a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University. The committee recommended Mariah based on her commitment to building better communities through transportation planning. Mariah exemplified this commitment by volunteering for programs such as Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Bicycle Counts and SOLV’s street clean-up days. In addition to her volunteer work, Mariah conducted research for a Climate Planning Innovation study and worked on Metro’s Drive Less Save More Campaign. She also was a transportation planning intern at CH2M HILL, where she now continues to work as a full-time planner. Mariah excelled in her coursework at PSU while staying active in extracurricular groups such as Students in Transportation Engineering and Planning, the Planning Club, and Planning Includes Equity. Furthermore, as a WTS student member, she volunteered at luncheon events, and was highly recommended by fellow WTS members.