By Victor Sheng’ao Xie, USC Master of Planning, 2016

We are pleased to announce that first year MPL student Emily Finkel was selected by the Board of Regents of the Eno Center for Transportation to participate in the 23rd annual Eno Future Leaders Development Conference to be held in Washington, DC, from May 30 to June 4, 2015.

Each year, 20 of the nation’s top graduate students in transportation are awarded this coveted opportunity to experience firsthand how national transportation policies are developed. Attendees are afforded the chance to meet federal officials and leaders of business and non-profit organizations while joining a week of meetings in the nation’s capital.

"Good policy cannot be created in a vacuum. This is an important lesson I have learned through my experience in advocating for impactful public policies at the local and state levels," said Finkel, referring to her work in the Seattle mayor’s office, the Bay Area Council, and the Sacramento Bicycle Advisory Committee. " I hope to have the opportunity to learn how to better integrate this principle into my practice as a transportation planner through the Eno Center for Transportation Future Leaders Development Conference later this year in Washington, D.C."

Finkel was recommended for submission for consideration by her advisor, METRANS Executive Committee member, USC Price Senior Associate Dean Marlon Boarnet, who wrote in his nomination of her, “(Finkel) has a keen sense of policy analytics and strong leadership abilities. Her writing skills, her knowledge of transportation, her ambition, and her policy analysis abilities are all among the best that I have seen in master’s students.  She is highly qualified for a career in transportation planning.”

This conference is a valuable opportunity to expand horizons and build connections with professionals in transportation planning and governance.  Finkel’s mentor, METRANS Advisory Board member Dan Beal, congratulated her on the news of her selection “What a great opportunity!” he wrote. “I'm very happy for you and I'm sure this will be a terrific addition to your education and resume!”  Perhaps METRANS Director, Genevieve Giuliano summed it up best when she assured Finkel, “You will have a great experience!”

Emily Finkel is a first year student in the USC Price Master of Urban Planning program, expecting to graduate in spring, 2016. She was admitted with the most selective merit-based scholarship that the Price School offers.  Finkel came to USC as a summa cum laude graduate from Northeastern University, were she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing.  She has a passion for increasing the vitality and prosperity of communities through thoughtful transportation planning and policy. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a career where she may use policy to create unified strategies that meaningfully impact quality of life.