Tricia at Mile Zero, C&O Canal Towpath. Image by the author.

Hello folks! I’m Tricia Chicka and am the fall 2024 Communications Intern for GGWash. My path to this position is slightly atypical from the standard college or graduate student. My degree was earned long ago in the year 2005 in a distant land called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have in the past been a Communications and Marketing Manager for an outdoor recreation non-profit as well as a Digital Content Manager for a private trade publication. So why am I here, in this position, in DC?

I met and married my spouse J while doing bicycling events in Pittsburgh. We both share a passion for that and the beautiful complexity of cities in general. I was a year-round bicycle commuter in Pittsburgh and I took for granted my level of safety and familiarity there. I also had a passion for long-distance cycling–I have done the Pittsburgh-to-DC bike trails three times–and have been involved in numerous MS150 rides.

When we moved to DC seven years ago so that J could attend grad school to become a Transportation Planner, I struggled to find a place here. I didn’t know anyone, and had to build a community from the ground up. I worked at Trader Joe’s. I realized that I felt supremely unsafe biking on the unprotected bike lane on 14th street. The roads were bigger and the drivers more aggressive, and I had less desire to put myself at risk. I fell off the saddle, and switched to bussing to get to work until we moved within walking distance. All of these experiences showed me how even an experienced cyclist can be deterred by poor street design and enforcement.

I applied for this position because I had joined GGWash events in the past, and their mission aligns with my ideals. I look forward to supporting them in their work to make the DC region more bicycle friendly, and more liveable for all. I’m excited to wade back into communications work, and I’m hopeful to have a bike commute once more.

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Tagged: about ggwash, bicycling, bicycling infrastructure, bike trails, bikes, dc, internships, pittsburgh, transit

Tricia (she/her) is the fall 2024 Communications Intern for GGWash. Her time in DC for the past six years was spent slinging groceries and writing orders at Trader Joe’s. In her previous work in Pittsburgh, she was a Digital Content Manager for a private trade journal and Communications and Marketing Manager for an outdoor recreation non-profit. She misses having a daily bicycle commute and is determined to get back in the saddle, while advocating for safer streets for all. She resides in Columbia Heights with her spouse, who is a Transportation Planner. In her free time, you can find her playing roleplaying games and camping with nerds in the woods.