Arcata Resident Named 2025 Caltrans District 1 Transportation Scholarship Recipient

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Caltrans District 1 shield. Humboldt; Del Norte; Lake; Mendocino. The sun sets over a road that winds from the foreground to the background. Mountains line each side.

Arcata High School graduate Julia Oberlander was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Caltrans District 1 Transportation Scholarship.

Oberlander will receive $2,250 to kickstart her education at the University of California, Irvine this fall where she will major in civil engineering with a focus on transportation systems engineering, bringing together her passion for math, science and art.

“I’m so honored to receive this scholarship, and it’ll make a big difference as I start my education at UC Irvine this fall,” Oberlander said. “And it means so much to have the support of Caltrans and my local district.”

The scholarship was awarded on a competitive basis, and Oberlander was chosen based on her strong interest in a transportation career, academic record and participation in extra-curricular activities.

In her application, Oberlander wrote of a formative experience at the National Summer Transportation Institute at Oregon State University where she had the chance to collaborate on projects addressing real-world problems in the Corvallis area. “I knew in that moment I would aspire to become a transportation planner and create transformative transportation infrastructure,” she said, “helping engineer a more equitable and sustainable future.”

The District 1 Transportation Scholarship supports the professional growth of a high school senior or college, university, vocational or technical school student seeking a career in transportation. Applicants must also be from or reside in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake or Mendocino counties.

Funding is provided by the District 1 Social Fund and the California Transportation Foundation (CTF). To learn more about CTF, please visit www.the-ctf.org.

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Cone-shaped Caltrans mascot Safety Sam holds one side of a large novelty check displaying the name of Julia Oberlander and the amount of $2,250 scholarship recipient Julia holding the other side.

Safety Sam presents a check to 2025 scholarship recipient Julia Oberlander