Grad accepts Robie Gold Medal at commencement
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.
At the University of Arizona’s 161st commencement ceremony on May 16, mechanical engineering graduate Aaliya Thompson-Mazzeo accepted the 2025 Robie Gold Medal. Thompson-Mazzeo was one of seven exceptional U of A students to be recognized for their achievements at this year’s commencement.
The Robie Gold Medal honors students who have shown enthusiasm, a love of God and country, personal integrity, initiative, cooperation, and a willingness to give more than required. Thompson-Mazzeo, a magna cum laude mechanical engineering graduate with minors in biomedical engineering, mathematics and dance, worked as a student researcher in a physiology lab, served as president of the Engineering Student Council and programs chair for the National Society of Black Engineers and did extensive outreach, tutoring and mentoring work.
This fall Thompson-Mazzeo plans to start pursuing a doctorate in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She will pursue research related to treatments for nerve and spinal cord injuries and prosthetic development.