Steven Mezzacappa is a fourth year student in the five-year Architectural Engineering program, dedicated to bettering society through his career. Despite having another year of school ahead of him, Mezzacappa has already built an impressive name for himself in the field. He was recently named one of “10 New Faces in Civil Engineering” by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The New Faces in Civil Engineering program promotes academic success and passionate for a cause and betterment of society. Currently, Mezzacappa is in the top three and will find out April 2 if he is the first overall honoree.

“It’s really a blessing,” he said. “My favorite part of this happening is its forcing me to step back for a second and reflect on college itself. I wanted to reach out and thank people who have supported me along the way.”

There were a lot of people who had a hand in Mezzacappa’s growth. He took advantage of all the opportunities Penn State had to offer, serving as an OPP Captain for THON for the last two years, construction manager and president of Bridges to Prosperity, president of the council of Lion Hearts, and now as the founding executive director for his newest organization, Passion With Purpose.

Mezzacappa hopes to extend his mission to improve the campus through Passion With Purpose. Passion With Purpose is based on three pillars: empower, inspire, and encourage. The mission is to break down the barrier of people’s future decisions to uncover people’s passions.

Passion With Purpose will be open to anyone, but geared toward younger students. Its goal is to engage freshmen and other students from the beginning and to help them get involved with something they’re passionate about to help shape their academic careers. An executive committee was recently established, and captain applications will be released in both the fall and spring.

A Staten Island native, Mezzacappa knew that Penn State was the place for him. “It was a gut feeling,” he said. In addition to academics, he was captivated by all the out of classroom opportunities offered by what he describes as a well-rounded university. “This is a place where I could literally have an impact and make a difference by doing things I love.”

Through all of his involvement on campus, Mezzacappa’s goal is leave the campus, like every other place, better than he found it.

“I give a lot of grace and gratitude to this school. I just love being a Penn Stater.”