Meet METRANS Transportation Center student assistant Nicole (Haichao) Guo. (Photo by Nicole Guo)

Guo just finished her first year of graduate study at the University of Southern California, majoring in civil engineering with a concentration in transportation engineering. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Traffic and Transportation from Southeastern University, in Nanjing, China. Guo is also an active student member of WTS-Los Angeles.

Guo developed her interest for transportation when she lived and studied in the city of Nanjing. "Being in Nanjing gave me the opportunity to experience the development of transportation in my country,” she said.  “I still remember how commuting from school became so much faster and more comfortable after the completion of the light rail transit (LRT) system."

To Guo, traffic is a fascinating issue. It’s not only about a getting people to their destinations. It is also an emotional matter. People feel happy with excellent traffic flow, or they will feel stressed and anxious when stuck in congested traffic. It brings her pride as a transportation engineer to help provide the public with better service and to increase roadway safety and make contributions to a more “livable” society.

Guo's ultimate career goal is to become a professional engineer with a specialty in traffic and transportation. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Traffic and Transportation, she chose to enroll in a Master’s degree program in the United States, where more advanced traffic systems are being developed. She plans to finish her Master’s degree at USC within two years. During this period, she plans on attending conferences and meetings as much as she can so that she can expand the scope of her knowledge and improve her interpersonal skills.

After graduating from the Master's program, Guo’s next step is to pursue a position with a transportation consulting organization. She believes that it will provide her the opportunity to engage in all different aspects of the transportation sector. Meanwhile, she would have the chance to work in teams with people from all academic backgrounds, which would polish her capability to work across disciplines.

Kaitlyn Zhang

Kaitlyn (Kenan) Zhang is a first-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) student attending the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Her interests are in transportation policy, urban development, and economics. She is also working towards a certificate in Transportation Systems from the Viterbi School of Engineering, and is an active student member of and volunteer for WTS Los Angeles.