I never really thought about the “why do i do what i do” question before, but looking back at the things that I have been interested in and have enjoyed doing at various stages of my life has made me realize why I do what I do. From simple pencil drawings to full 3D hand renderings and digital renderings, tinkering with various items to see how things work and are put together, thinking about how to improve products, designing products, and wanting to be an architect have led me to the planning and engineering field. Wanting to be an architect was the main channel that got me into planning as I saw planning as a larger-scale version of architecture, designing/planning for a larger group of people. Now, after being in the transportation planning and engineering field I have realized that all of those the things that I have been interested in and have enjoyed doing throughout the years have been about helping people in some way. Being part of the planning team and conducting multiple community outreach efforts in various types of communities has made me realize that there are many people, including some of my own family members, who rely on various modes of transportation or have needed better accessibility to move from place to place, especially when it comes to safety. Safety, especially in transportation, is one of my main areas of interests where I would like to do my part to provide a safer environment for all users of transportation facilities and within our own neighborhoods, especially to those who rely on non-motorized transportation. I want to be part of a group that helps improve the safety of our friends, families and future generations.

My dad is a very talented hobby-level artist. Growing up, my brother and I would watch him draw with absolute joy, whether it was back-of-the-napkin sketches or full-blown oil paintings. So naturally, we were always interested in art, and found ourselves taking up drawing too. For me, it also became an activity that spilled into my academics. Wherever I could I would inject as much artistic creativity as my school projects would allow. Over time, I grew to love the concept of being able to take an idea, nurture it, and put it on paper to create something that wasn’t there before. And there’s a balance to be had in creating an effective piece of art. It requires you to improve yourself and understand when to do more, and when to do less. Which I find to also be a cherished value in my present life—flexibility and balance—and knowing when and how to apply it. Fast forward to today, where my schooling took me from an interest in architecture, to civil engineering, to transportation, where a lot of my present work comprises a mixture of both planning and engineering disciplines. And this is where I find why I do what I do. “Transportation Engineering” is the loose term that I would use to encompass what KOA mainly does. Which, broadly speaking, is simply getting people from Point A and Point B in a way that best balances the multitude of competing interests that are inevitably wrapped up in that. We are constantly having to balance modes (cars, trucks, trains, pedestrians, bicyclists), priorities (safety, comfort, environment, aesthetics, efficiency, socioeconomics), available money, constant changes in technology, and physically limited spaces within which to build what we want. But ultimately, the process of balancing the needs and demands of the overall Project Development cycle (programming, planning, engineering, construction, maintenance) is what I find to be the most fulfilling and rewarding, and something that KOA has never failed to offer me. We are afforded the opportunity to get involved in the entire process of how our transportation system is improved. Taking a conceptual idea in someone’s head, to a plan that is developed and re-worked by lots of other smart and passionate people, getting the money to fund it, designing it to scientific and precise engineering standards, and ultimately constructing in real-life what was once just a dream. Just like my dad used to do with a pencil and paper, only on a much grander scale. And lots more people. Which amplifies the creative experience because the success of one person becomes the success of the many, and vice versa.

For some reason unbeknown to me, whether you want to call it fate or luck, I fell into a career that fits me perfectly. Growing up I was always good at math and I was a very meticulous, cautious, and perfectionist kid. I loved to solve problems. I had all the traits of a good engineer! I stumbled on engineering as I was applying to college. It isn’t until now, as I reflect on why I do what I do, that I realize how much of a fit this career is for me. I do what I do because it is what I was meant to do, and it is what I am good at. Engineering comes naturally to me.

In my 20 years as a planner, I am excited to make places safer and more accessible for people of all ages and abilities. In turn, my work makes people healthier and society more equitable. Even on my most stressful days, the opportunity to improve quality of life for others makes going to work rewarding and worthwhile.