BETHANIE GOURLEY

I was born into a nurturing family in North Little Rock, Arkansas. During my youth, I cultivated my love for the earth, creating, and learning.

I had the opportunity to travel abroad to the Netherlands when I was sixteen. This exposure sparked my desire to travel and see the world.
 
As I attended Hendrix College, I studied Environmental Studies, Asian Studies, Economics and Business. I was able to study abroad for a summer in Shanghai, China. Once I returned to the states, I decided to focus my undergraduate thesis on funding strategies for the expansion of passenger transit in Central Arkansas.

After being told that local passenger rail is a million years away for Central Arkansas, I decided to immerse myself in the state's current transportation infrastructure. I trained to be a highway inspector for two years through ARDOT. Then, I decided to go back to school to become a civil engineer.

I study transportation engineering, and intern with HNTB's Transit and Rail department in Dallas, TX. 

My mission is to support efficient passenger transit systems.

I have chosen this path, because I'm dedicated to decreasing annual fossil fuel emissions, for the benefit of the whole world.

I'm looking forward to working in maintenance for a transit system in a major city so I can build field experience and continue to observe and soak up the operations of a project manager.