Today marks International Women's Day (IWD) — a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. In honor of the day, we’re profiling one of our longstanding employees and other amazing women, like her, that have found success and fulfillment in building a career at UTA.
Spotlight on Christa: Making a Life, Building a Career
Christa grew up in Goodland, Kansas. “I remember harvesting the wheat on our family farm and eating corn all year long.” When she wasn’t farming, Christa enjoyed softball, gymnastics, crafts, 4H, and swimming. She attended Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, where she studied architecture and interior design. She was also a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and worked as a part-time office assistant. After graduating, Christa attended Pikes Peak State College to complete her architecture and interior design degree.
After moving to Utah, she decided to drive buses for one UTA’s Paratransit contractors (MV Transportation) and Mt. Ogden Bus. “My proudest moment was earning the Katherine McClary Safety Award at MV.” Her good friend, Candee Ferris, kept encouraging her to apply for other jobs at UTA. “I finally applied for a FrontRunner Engineer position, but I thought I was too old to drive trains. Even when I was accepted, I kept telling myself that saying I would only stay if I passed my tests. I kept passing them, so I decided to drive trains instead.”
“I love driving trains. I love their size. I love driving on the rails and in the snow. Driving a train feels like you’re operating a roller coaster. It’s just missing the loop de loops. Every time I drive past Union Station, I think about how cool it would be to travel in my own train home across the world.”
Christa’s been driving trains for five years and plans to retire from UTA. She bought her dream home with her fiancé, and her two kids are all grown up and working as a corrections officer and a microbiologist.
Hear from more women at UTA. Learn about their lifelong experiences, careers at UTA, and the advice they have for other women.
Leni Funaro, UTA Parts Clerk at Jordan River Rail Service Center, 16 years of service
Jeanette Lancaster, UTA System Monitoring Administrator, 16 years of service
Cherrly Beveridge, UTA Chief Operating Officer, 45 years of service
Click here to watch more inspiring stories like these.
If you’re interested in working with these outstanding women and others, head to rideuta.com/careers.