Mechanical engineering graduate to accept Robie Gold Medal at Commencement
University selects Aaliyah Thompson-Mazzeo as a top leader and scholar.
Aaliyah Thompson-Mazzeo, former president of the Engineering Student Council, kicks off the 2023 Homecoming Engineers Breakfast by thanking alumni for giving students a proud legacy to continue.
The University of Arizona will recognize seven graduating seniors during Commencement for extraordinary accomplishments in and out of the classroom. Mechanical engineering major Aaliyah Thompson-Mazzeo will accept the Robie Gold Medal, which honors those who demonstrate personal integrity, initiative, cooperation, enthusiasm, willingness to give more than required, and a love of God and country.
The university will host its 161st Commencement ceremony at Arizona Stadium on May 16 at 7:30 p.m. A full schedule and more information about this year's ceremony are available on the Commencement website.
An impressive and varied record
Thompson-Mazzeo – originally from Irvine, California – is graduating magna cum laude with a BS in mechanical engineering and minors in biomedical engineering, mathematics and dance. She won more than $100,000 in scholarships, including the Giuè Family Scholarship, the William and Marguerite Hesketh Scholarship, the Gary W. Harper Mechanical Engineering Scholarship and the NAACP Tucson Black Excellence Scholarship. She was also a member of the inaugural cohort of a Black Excellence Scholars in the W.A. Franke Honors College and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.
Thompson-Mazzeo will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall as a Vivien Thomas Scholar to pursue her doctorate in biomedical engineering. Her passion stems from her experience with dance injuries, and she hopes to develop treatments for nerve and spinal cord injuries and prosthetic development. She worked as a student researcher in a physiology lab, investigating noninvasive methods to control a robotic arm.
Though Thompson-Mazzeo chose engineering over pursuing a dance career, she has been a dancer for the Arizona Pomline and the Pride of Arizona Marching Band. She served as director of social and outreach and then president of the Engineering Student Council and as programs chair for the National Society of Black Engineers, organizing study sessions and networking forums to connect Black engineers on campus.
Thompson-Mazzeo also volunteered at STEM outreach events, provided free tutoring at Imago Dei Middle School and mentored high school girls through the Society of Women Engineers. She served as a tour guide for Arizona Ambassadors.
During her last two years at Arizona, she was part of two prestigious U of A groups that enhance student life: Links Junior Honorary and Bobcat Senior Honorary.
Read the full story at University of Arizona News.
