If you know someone who is a pre-med major, you know how much effort he or she has put forth to satisfy the pre-med requirements. If you know someone who is an engineering-physics major, you also know how much academic work they he or she has to do. Christopher Mazzeo is a student who does both. He is an engineering-physics major who is also on the pre-med track.
Chris comes from Old Brookville, on the north shore of Long Island, and attended Chaminade High School.
“Chaminade gave me a good educational base to succeed in with the course load I have had to take for my major,” he said.
Why does Chris put himself through the rigor of both the pre-med and engineering-physics curriculums?
“I knew I wanted to do something in the health field, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do whether it was being a doctor or in the building of medical equipment side,” he said. “I originally chose engineering and pre-med, because I could have always drop one or the other once I decided which path to pursue. I really like both and I definitely now want to be a doctor.”
Chris has also been elected to the executive board of FUEMS, and is a crew chief as well. He also serves on the executive board for Fordham’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders.
During the fall semester of his freshman year, he joined FUEMS and has loved it ever since.
“I never had any experience prior to joining FUEMS in the EMS field and it seemed like it would be something I would like.”
He used this experience and became an E.M.T. for the North Shore L.I.J. health care system during the summer after his freshman year.
His latest venture began in September 2013 when he was chosen to be on the executive board of the newly formed Engineers Without Borders, also known as E.W.B.
E.W.B. is an international organization in which undergraduate students and professional engineers team up and help developing communities with water filtration, solar power, agricultural and sanitation projects.
The chapter’s first project will be in the Omorio village in Uganda, where they will build five fish farms and one breeding center.
The village sent the plan to the EWB organization after they realized they needed the fish farms. After it was approved by the organization, any student chapter could have chosen it.
“We will be boosting the entire economy for the village and affecting over 100,000 thousand people,” he said. “We are planning on going to the village over our winter break from Dec. 28 to Jan. 8 to see how the project is progressing.”
On top of all of the work he does between school, FUEMS and E.W.B., Chris also dedicates time tutoring students in integrated algebra for the New York Regents Exam, the New York state public high school exam for seniors.
Chris uses the Jesuit philosophy of homines pro aliis, men and women for others, in every aspect of his life.
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Leighton Schneider is the Multimedia Editor for The Fordham Ram.
