We are thrilled to feature Joceline Suhaimi - a 4th-year undergraduate student from UCLA with impressive accomplishments. Suhaimi is the current President of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) at UCLA and an Executive Assistant at UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies.

Suhaimi is a UCLA Civil and Environmental Engineering major, with a minor in Urban Planning minor. She believes that transportation is a basic human need, and she remembers that she first became interested in transportation when she joined ITE at UCLA in the spring of her freshman year. "The past-president encouraged me to apply for the officer board, and I've been a member ever since,” she shared. “This involvement has led me down an interesting and rewarding path as a budding transportation planner and engineer.” In her three years involvement in ITE, she has been Media Director, Vice President of external affairs, and now President.

Suhaimi is interested in multimodal planning and complete streets, data analytics, and equity in transportation systems. She hopes to plan and design systems that serve the needs of all users, regardless of age, ability, and car ownership.

Suhaimi is very active in her studies, and she demonstrates great interest in the subjects. One of her instructors at UCLA, Walter Okitsu, co-founder of KOA Corporation, one of the largest transportation engineering and planning firms in Southern California, rates Suhaimi as “one of the highest achievers in my Transportation Engineering class.” Okitsu notes the understanding of the course material that Suhaimi demonstrated and her enthusiasm for the subject.

As a part of her transportation path, Suhaimi had the opportunity to intern at Kimley-Horn and Kittelson, the planning and design engineering consulting company. Suhaimi notes that this experience allowed her to sharpen her technical skills and grow as a student and a young professional.

In addition to her involvement in ITE, Suhaimi is also an active member of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) and the American Society of Civil Engineers. She has also been awarded the WTS-Los Angeles Ava Doner Memorial Scholarship, which supports young women who aspire to a professional career in transportation. Suhaimi also won the 2019 ITE Western District Regional Travel Scholarship, and was selected to represent UCLA at the CTF Transportation Education Symposium. "Throughout my involvement in ITE, WTS, CTF, and the transportation profession in general, I've met so many incredible people who have mentored me and helped shape my career path and define my career goals," she says.

In her capacity as ITE President, Suhaimi is leading the planning and execution of the ITE Western District Student Leadership Summit, a major undertaking. "This year, I'm excited to announce ITE at UCLA is cohosting the ITE Western District Student Leadership Summit with USC ITE. This event is a 3-day conference that will bring students from all over the 13 Western District states, from Montana to Arizona, all the way to Alaska and Hawaii. From January 31st to February 2nd, we're going to host 200 students and professionals from all over the country in Los Angeles to learn and grow as transportation professionals. I'm excited to put on this event to give back to a community that has given me so much, and I couldn't think of a better way to end my four years at UCLA."

About the Author:

Adylbek Abdykalikov is a graduate student in the International Public Policy and Management Program at USC Price. He has working experience in various positions at the Ministries of Transport and Communication and Investment and Development of Kazakhstan and was in charge of Transportation and Civil Aviation policy development and implementation, and serves as lead student event coordinator for METRANS and PSR.