Meet Hayley Rundle, graduate student in the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Policy, Master of Urban Planning program with a concentration in Transportation and Mobility Planning and member of the METRANS Transportation Consortium Student Research and Newsletter teams. Ms. Rundle is on the board of USC’s Associated Students of Planning & Development (ASPD) and served as a First-Year Representative and the Professional Development Chair during her first year in the Master of Urban Planning program. At the beginning of the school year, Ms. Rundle will lead ASPD as a Co-Chair. Ms. Rundle is also a USC Price Student Ambassador. Outside of school, Ms. Rundle is a student member of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) and the Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP).

Hayley Rundle, WTS-Sacramento Scholarship Recipient

Ms. Rundle is proud and grateful to be a recent recipient of a WTS-Sacramento Scholarship.  She has been interested in and dedicated to the field of transportation for as long as she can remember, and has been particularly passionate about promoting alternatives to the automobile as accessible and functional modes of transportation for almost as long.  Her career goal is to advance sustainable methods of transportation.  She credits her dedication to this goal as instrumental in pushing her to excel in all her endeavors and led her to be one of the recipients of the WTS Sacramento Scholarship and “thanks to the WTS-Sacramento Chapter, the selection committee, and donors for their generous contribution to her studies in the form of this scholarship.”

Originally from Northern California, Ms. Rundle shares that she was particularly drawn to USC for her graduate studies by the numerous research opportunities offered to students. I wanted to be “taught by professors that were producing current research regarding transportation.” She notes that her “program has a social justice and data analysis focus, which is very relevant today and is something that other universities are not prioritizing.”

Rundle adds that the networking atmosphere that USC has to offer students and her educational and career goals led her to METRANS, and she was thrilled to find a perfect position with the Consortium.  In addition to her positions at METRANS, she worked for the Caltrans Division of Rail and Mass Transportation, where she assists with legislation organization, analysis, and research coordination. Ms. Rundle is currently wrapping up a summer position with TransLink Consulting, a small, woman-owned business where she worked on a variety of LA Metro transportation projects. In the fall, Ms. Rundle will join Fehr & Peers’ LA office as an intern.

After graduation, Ms. Rundle hopes to have the opportunity to join the private sector as part of a transportation consulting firm that focuses on the development of transportation and general plans, including more sustainable methods such as active transportation and public transit in various cities and counties. These positions and modes appeal to her, consistent with her passion to identify ways to reduce the amount of automobile usage, a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.  She is particularly interested in active and public transportation, sustainable modes of transportation, and the intersection between transportation and land use. With her professional and educational background, she hopes to have acquired useful skills to become both an agent and an advocate for sustainable transportation.

In her free time, Ms. Rundle enjoys physical activities such as hiking and exercising, while also incorporating some reading into her schedule. When she is not in class she spends time exploring life in LA and discovering new parks and open spaces.

“Hayley is a wonderful and talented student and a respected leader in the METRANS Student Team,” shared METRANS Associate Director, Dr. Victoria Deguzman.  “Among her many gifts is a rare and impressive ability to quickly and clearly synthesize complex research into something suitable for both a lay and expert audience, a skill which makes her an invaluable contributor to our News and our Fast Facts Research Teams.  She is definitely one of those students you are certain will rise to the top of the field, and I know I am not alone in looking forward to seeing all that she will accomplish.” 

About the Author:

Ashley Jimenez is a first-year Master of International Public Policy and Management student at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She works as staff writer and Events Team Lead for the METRANS student team.