Senior Corin Lobo Earns Florida Tech’s First Newman Civic Fellows Award
If there ever was the official title of “big man on campus,” senior Corin Lobo would snag that accolade easily. In addition to his studies in electrical engineering and sustainability, Lobo has his hand in everything—from his fraternity Alpha Tau Omega to his Panther Pride leadership position with student orientation. But it’s his commitment to civic engagement on and off-campus that earned him the Newman Civic Fellows Award, an honor bestowed by university presidents to student leaders who have “demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country through service, research, and advocacy.”
For Lobo, service is a huge part of his life. Throughout his time at the university, he has been involved with several non-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, Breast Friends, United Way, Spoil Island Initiative in the Indian River Lagoon, Adopt a Highway and countless food drives and service runs. As social service head of his fraternity, Lobo has spearheaded many initiatives, most notably a philanthropic softball tournament which raised over $2,500 for the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation. After earning over 500+ hours of community service, he also received the Greek Volunteer of the Year award from Greek Life.
But his passion doesn’t stop there. In collaboration with Dr. Oglesby, Lobo works to develop campaigns, events and information sessions for Title IX, an education amendment that protects people from discrimination based on sex. Using skills learned from his electrical engineering major, he has developed a web applet for the university that provides instant and up-to-date information to users, as well as a means to communicate (via email or text) with pertinent authorities and report suspicious activity anonymously. “I am passionate about this topic as I truly believe that Florida Tech is my home. Everyone hoping to gain a higher education here should be able to do so with the peace of mind, without fear of sexual assaults on campus or bias based on gender or race. I am a Panther and I care for my fellow Panther Family populous,” he says.
Another subject close to his heart is the environment. With an affinity for the planet, Lobo pursued a minor in sustainability and submitted a sustainable information technology proposal to the School of Computing as a part of his student design project. He has also worked with Dr. Lindeman and the Student Organization for Sustainability Action (SOSA) on e-waste and solar energy ventures.
After finishing his master’s degree in systems engineering at Florida Tech, Lobo hopes to use his engineering knowledge and fervor for sustainability and make a career out of it. “I want to be able to come up with whole systems that are green, have zero carbon footprint, and are good for the environment and community in it,” he says.
In addition to a nice plaque and certificate, Lobo’s Newman Civic Fellows Award has connected him to several leaders, students, and other executives through its online network.
