On February 28^th, USC transportation students from both engineering and public policy joined the International Chinese Transportation Professionals Association (ICTPA), Southern California Chapter to celebrate the Lunar New Year of Sheep with Chinese Transportation Professionals at Heritage Park Community Center in Diamond Bar. The event was sponsored by the generous contributions of Transpogroup, CREEC, EtherWAN, FPL and Associates, HNTB, and Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Bryan Pennington, Executive Director of Engineering and Construction at Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA/Metro) was the keynote speaker. A native of England, Pennington shared his personal experiences working as a foreigner in several different countries in Europe, Middle East, Asia and North America; and how he gradually devoted his life to transportation engineering. “You feel lost sometimes because you think you do not belong to the environment.” Pennington inspired Chinese transportation engineers and students living abroad, “I find myself at home where I live.  My home now is California. If you are really involved in what you are doing, you will find your home there.”

The dinner also included a magic show, an accordion performance, a violin performance, and a raffle.