Alexander J. Garcia2011 Scholarship Application
In what area of public transportation do you want to make your career and why (1,000 words)?
As a nineteen year old freshman at Western Washington University, it was an almost overwhelming experience attending the American Public Transportation Association’s “Transportation and Communities Conference” in Reno, Nevada in April of 2008. Having never been to a conference like this before, I was wide-eyed and more than a little bit thunderstruck at the prospect of presenting in front of all these much older, and presumably much wiser, transportation professionals. But as the days went on, and as I spoke with them, I became more and more interested in their careers. They worked at many different agencies and organizations, and had such diverse backgrounds. They were engaging, jovial, and it seemed like I was a part of a close-knit community rather than merely an industry. And most important to me, they were making a difference in the lives of others. By the end of that week, what had always been a personal interest of mine had blossomed into a future career. I wanted to be a part of this community. I wanted to work in the field of public transportation.
After resolving to take my interest in transit and turn it into a career, the answer to what part of the field of public transit I wanted to be in came easily to me. At Western, I was involved in transportation issues on campus through the student government’s Transportation Advisory Committee and had been hired to be the Student Alternative Transportation Coordinator for the upcoming year. Through this work, I was able to interact with several individuals at the Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA). I was amazed at the frequent, very high-quality service that WTA provided for a city with a population of only about 85,000. When I had the opportunity to work with WTA’s Director of Service Development (Rick Nicholson), and he explained the work that he did (namely planning this service and figuring out ways to make it better) I knew that this was where I wanted to be and I determined to learn as much as I could about the work he and WTA did.
While at Western in the position of student Alternative Transportation Coordinator, I worked to increase the use of alternative modes of transportation by Western students, and also worked with WTA and other stakeholders to improve transit service to campus. I also had the opportunity to work as an intern in the Service Development department of WTA. This experience gave me firsthand insight into the work that transportation planners do and provided me with valuable experience in transit planning.
I chose to pursue a master’s degree in planning, specializing in transportation in order to further my goal of a career as a transit planner. While at Florida State University, I have had the opportunity to work at StarMetro, Tallahassee’s transit agency. At StarMetro I have had the pleasure of helping staff with implementing a plan to completely decentralize Tallahassee’s transit system beginning in July 2011. This experience has complemented my academic learning and research in the classroom. I am interested in studying best practices in terms of how transit networks are planned, how transit is integrated with land use, and the role that transit frequency plays in attracting riders. My goal is to research transit systems and communities that are not only interesting to those in academia, but are examples that planners at other agencies and organizations across the United States and look to and model in the years ahead. Over the summer, I will be interning at TriMet in Portland, Oregon to gain more experience in transit planning with a top-notch transit agency.
Looking towards the future after completing my program, I am fully committed to a career in the field of public transit as a transit planner or eventual director of planning. My experience at Western, at WTA, at Florida State University and at StarMetro have shown me the positive impact that transit can have on communities throughout the United States if it is well planned. I believe that public transit has the potential to play an increasingly important role in the lives of Americans as our urban regions become more and more populated, as the price of both fossil fuels and vehicle ownership continues to increase, and as environmental concerns become more and more pressing.
I would ideally like to work in the public sector at a transit agency. I believe that working in the public sector is the best use of my talents and experience, as it will enable me to foster a very strong connection to the community that I work in. My goal is to create public transit systems that offer commuters and residents a viable alternative to driving. Transit will only be successful if it is frequent, convenient, and attractive to riders. Creating a transit system that meets these goals and that is guided by the needs and desires of the community is the challenge for me and other transit planners across the United States. Based on my experience, I am certain that it is a challenge that can be met. I know that a career in the public sector can at times be a frustrating and thankless job, but I also know that through my work, I can make a tremendous difference in many people’s lives and can truly serve my community. In short, I believe that through a career as a public transit planner, I can create a transportation backbone that will help our increasingly urban nation have the most livable, sustainable, and vibrant cities in the world. I strongly believe that my passion for improving public transit, my commitment to serving my community, and my dedication to the field of transit planning in both my academic research and my real world experience make me an ideal candidate for an American Public Transportation Foundation Scholarship.