Her Story
About Laura
Laura Cranfill earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Virginia Tech, where she later worked as a data reductionist at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. This role sparked her interest in urban planning, particularly how transportation systems impact people with disabilities. Although she is not currently employed in the field, she has completed volunteer work and courses related to accessibility and attends planning commission meetings to stay informed on issues such as elevator access, transportation gaps, and infrastructure challenges. Cranfill advocates for solutions like enhanced train networks for medium-distance travel paired with automated accessible electric vehicles for last-mile connections, drawing from her experiences and her commitment to environmental issues. She values honesty, directness, and transparency in both her professional and personal life, and she volunteers with The ARC, which supports developmentally delayed individuals in her community. She plans to relocate closer to Blacksburg, Virginia, to pursue graduate courses in urban planning.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Laura
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Do what makes you excited. Do what interests you. For me, biology interests me because I care about Mother Earth and environmental issues. Urban planning has a lot to do with environmental issues so it's relevant to my first degree and my knowledge from my degree in biology will help me in urban planning.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
New York City is a huge opportunity now since the subway flooding issue is a pressing issue. Transportation infrastructure needs to be improved everywhere. My idea is for everyone to use trains for medium length distance like state to state and then take automated accessible electric vehicles from the train station to their final destination.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty, directness and transparency are most important to me.
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