Codi Weisz, undergraduate student at USC Viterbi School of Engineering received the 2019 Women’s Transportation Seminar – Los Angeles (WTS-LA) Ava Doner Memorial Scholarship. WTS-LA is the Los Angeles chapter of the international organization, WTS, dedicated to building the future of global transportation through advancement of women. WTS scholarships support young women aspiring a professional career in transportation.

Weisz is a sophomore student studying Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering at USC. She is originally from Temple City, a suburb of Los Angeles. “I attended Temple City High School where I founded the Helping Hands Organization (H2O). H2O fundraised for 3-4 local nonprofits each year,” shared Weisz. In no small part due to her work with H2O, she was awarded the Temple City Unified School District Board of Education Community Service Award and the City Council of Temple City Recognition Award.

Weisz has an impressive list of accomplishments including two congressional nominations to the U.S. Naval Academy, acceptance into the United States Naval Academy and acceptance to USC with a merit-based Trustee Scholarship from Viterbi School of Engineering. She was recognized in 2018 with the California State Legislature Emerging Leader Award from California State Senator Ed Hernandez, the County of Los Angeles 2018 Women of Achievement Award,  and the WTS-Orange County Undergraduate Scholarship.

Weisz is grateful for receiving the prestigious WTS-LA scholarship, named in honor of former WTS-LA board member, business owner, and pioneer Ava Doner. “The Ava Doner Memorial Scholarship enables me to pursue my own passions and curiosities for engineering,” noted Weisz. She says that getting the scholarship will give her more financial freedom, enabling her to devote more time to her studies and student organizations, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Engineers Without Borders. Weisz also believes that this scholarship will help her to focus on pursuing an internship with the Army Corps of Engineers, which currently has many projects along the Southern California coast.

Although Weisz is currently studying Civil Engineering, she would like to explore her interest in Industrial and Systems Engineering as well. “As a recipient of this prestigious award, I would be humbled to continue the legacy of Ava Doner, as a role model and mentor to other young women in the industry.”

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.