For the third straight year, BYD Auto Co. (Build Your Dreams) is supporting women’s career development in the transportation sector by endowing a $5,000 scholarship through the Los Angeles chapter of WTS International (Women’s Transportation Seminar).
Time is of the essence because the deadline to apply is Friday, July 17.
BYD proudly backs WTS-LA, a leader in supporting and mentoring the next generation of transportation professionals in Southern California. Last year, WTS-LA awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to deserving young women in high school, community college, undergraduate and graduate programs in transportation-related fields.
“BYD believes strongly in the mission of WTS-LA to advance the career development of women who are joining the transportation industry in increasing numbers,” said Stella Li, President of BYD North America. “We want to help women overcome the obstacles that stand between them and their goals.”
Recipients and eligibility
The 2018 BYD scholarship went to Esther Kala, a student at Cal Poly Pomona majoring in civil engineering (transportation). Kala, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the first woman in her family to pursue an engineering degree.
The 2019 scholarship was awarded to Julene Paul, a post-graduate student at UCLA who hopes to shape policies to enable people to attain good jobs and achieve better economic outcomes. Paul conducts research on transportation equity, finance, and work, with an interest in how changes in the labor market affect travel behavior and commuting.
To be eligible for the BYD-sponsored scholarship, the applicant must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in a transportation-related field, such as transportation engineering, planning, finance, or logistics, or in the field of environmental planning and science.
The applicant also must be planning a career in a transportation-related field or in environmental planning, and be enrolled in a Los Angeles County school or have residency in Los Angeles County. More information and application forms can be found at https://www.wtsinternational.org/chapters/los-angeles/scholarships.
Private firms, public-sector agencies and individuals can also join BYD in supporting the next generation of women transportation professionals by either donating their own scholarship or contributing to an existing one. For more information on how to contribute to the scholarship program, visit wtsinternational.org/chapters/los-angeles/sponsor-scholarship. The deadline to contribute to the scholarship fund is Friday, July 17.
