Mechanical engineering majors have a heavy workload, but it鈥檚 nothing Tiana DeCrescenzo 鈥�23 couldn鈥檛 handle.
Besides excelling in the classroom, DeCrescenzo is a nationally ranked powerlifter. The Reading, Massachusetts, native took up the sport during her junior year at UML after learning about it from friends while working as a supervisor at the Campus Recreation Center.
鈥淚t was just something I wanted to try, and I ended up being pretty good at it,鈥� says DeCrescenzo, who competed at the USA Powerlifting Collegiate Nationals in Arlington, Texas, in April of her senior year.
Her performance at nationals 鈥� squatting 286.6 pounds, benching 159.8 and deadlifting 319.6 鈥� ranked 36th in her weight class.
鈥淭he atmosphere was wild. There were so many people cheering and screaming, and you want to put on a show for them,鈥� says DeCrescenzo, who qualified for nationals by doing well at her first-ever competition, a regional meet in Western Massachusetts during the fall of her senior year.
DeCrescenzo will always remember her trip to nationals for another reason: While there, she got a call from Symmons Industries, a plumbing manufacturer based in Braintree, Massachusetts, and was offered a job as a manufacturing engineer.
鈥淚t was a crazy week,鈥� says DeCrescenzo, who started at Symmons just days after graduating.
A love of robotics in high school steered DeCrescenzo toward mechanical engineering at UML, where a first-year course with Assoc. Prof. David Willis cemented her interest in the field. DeCrescenzo landed internships at UML鈥檚 New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center and Energetiq Technology, a photonics manufacturer based in Wilmington, Massachusetts. She also became a Francis College of Engineering Ambassador.
鈥淚t was a great way to meet people from other engineering disciplines, connect with alumni and be a part of the UMass Lowell community,鈥� says DeCrescenzo, who served as president of the ambassador program during her senior year.
But it was at the Campus Recreation Center, where DeCrescenzo worked 10-15 hours a week, that she discovered a whole new community.
鈥淎s an engineering major, I was always around people in STEM on North Campus. But at the Rec Center, I got to meet people from outside my classes and found people with similar interests, like friends who really pushed me with powerlifting,鈥� she says.
DeCrescenzo, who coaches herself in the sport but has a 鈥渉andler鈥� to take care of competition logistics, plans to continue with powerlifting for as long as she can.
鈥淵ou leave the gym with such a good feeling because you鈥檙e like, 鈥極K, I just accomplished that,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淓ven if I had a really bad day of classes, it鈥檚 like, 鈥極K, this is something for me, to make me feel good.鈥欌��
DeCrescenzo has found a new gym where she can train that鈥檚 closer to her job in Braintree, but she will always treasure her time at the Campus Recreation Center 鈥� and as an engineering student at UML.
鈥淚鈥檓 sad to see my four years at UML come to an end,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I鈥檒l keep with me and cherish for the rest of my life.鈥�