WASHINGTON — The Transportation Research Board (TRB) today announced the 2025 class of Minority Student Fellows. As part of TRB’s commitment to increasing diversity and inclusiveness in transportation, the Minority Student Fellows Program funds students from minority-serving institutions to attend and present their research at the TRB Annual Meeting and engage with TRB’s network of transportation professionals.

To help ensure that solutions to the nation’s transportation problems are addressed by people from a variety of backgrounds, TRB established the Minority Student Fellows Program in 2010 to explore research, ideas, and solutions from diverse perspectives. The program works to increase the number of individuals from underrepresented groups in the transportation field and in TRB activities. 

Twenty-two undergraduates and two graduate students studying in disciplines that include civil engineering, transportation systems engineering, electrical engineering, criminal justice, environmental science, and computer science have been selected to take part in the program in 2025. The fellows will participate in the 2025 annual meeting with their own poster session and numerous other activities, including a daylong orientation on the first day of the annual meeting, the new attendee welcome event, a networking lunch, Young Members Council sessions, and committee meetings. Members of the cohort will be paired with annual meeting mentors with whom they are matched based on academic and professional goals.

The students selected are:

• Beyah Baylor, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in transportation systems engineering at Morgan State University

• Pedro Chavez Jr., pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso

• Derrick Cook, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Morgan State University

• Le'Monna Cox, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at North Carolina Central University

• Tatiana Deslouches, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering technology at Florida A&M University

• Andre Flores-Fletes, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at North Carolina A&T State University

• Benny Herrera, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at California State University, Long Beach

• Kiersin Hines, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental science/geographic information systems at North Carolina Central University

• Kalyse Houston, pursuing a master’s degree in history at Texas Southern University

• Emelia Howe, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of New Mexico

• Demayla Jenkins, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering technology at Florida A&M University

• Keoni Mabini, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa

• Yahaira Nava Gonzalez, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at California State University, Los Angeles

• Bede Nnebedum, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

• Azriel Olmedo, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

• Avery Patrick, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

• Daren Pérez, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso

• Mauricio Pérez, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of New Mexico

• Waldmar Pérez Torres, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

• Fabiola Reyes Rios, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

• Álvaro Rodríguez León, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

• Missel Sanchez, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso

• Diego Simmonds, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

• Kevin Villon, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at City College of New York

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration provides funding for half of the students in the program, and a number of annual meeting attendees provide support through donations they make when registering for the TRB Annual Meeting. The program has also received financial support from the Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification and the National Southern Plains Transportation Center, both at the University of Texas at El Paso; the North Central Texas Council of Governments; Cambridge Systematics; VHB; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and the state departments of transportation in North Carolina and Tennessee to support individual fellows.

TRB is a program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, engineering, and medicine. The National Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

Contact:
Paul Mackie, Director of Communications/Media
Transportation Research Board
202-841-2953; email PMackie@nas.edu