Ferzacca Strives For Excellence In Everyday Activities

Dustin Ferzacca quotes Aristotle. He says, "You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence therefore, is not an act, but a habit."

It's been said that swimming is just as mental as it is physical, and that swimming for distance is one of the hardest things an athlete can put his or her mind through. Dustin has conquered that challenge by building habits of excellence with his teammates. He says, "Our distance group thrives because we strive to practice 100% every day, every practice. We try to practice excellence, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Maybe the most impressive thing about Dustin, however, is that he keeps that approach with him when he gets out of the pool. Dustin brings his all to everything he does, which makes him just about the most well-rounded student-athlete you'll meet.

As a mechanical engineering major, Dustin spent last summer working at Westinghouse Electric company in the Safety System Functional Design Group. Essentially, he helped develop algorithms that control the safety system of Westinghouse's newest nuclear power plant. Dustin doesn't take days off and that attitude led to very tangible responsibility at Westinghouse. He says, "It was an exciting experience because along with getting to apply my fluid mechanics and thermodynamics classes to real world engineering problems, I was also able to make significant contributions to some of the real plant algorithms."

To understand Dustin's versatility, you need to look no further than his future career plans. Dustin says, "I learned a lot about Westinghouse and definitely would consider the nuclear industry as a career path, however I am still set on going to Law school for Intellectual Property Law." It is a rare person who uses fluid mechanics and thermodynamics to keep nuclear plants safe and then pivots towards helping people and businesses keep ideas safe via IP protection, but that is the kind of talent and intellect Dustin possesses.

Dustin's influence isn't just contained in the pool, in his schoolwork, and in his work experience. He's involved in a wide array of campus organizations. He loves all things automotive, so in his free time he helps the campus Formula SAE team by machining parts and in assembly. He's also an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and recently spearheaded the New Student Orientation program which brought speakers from the CMU faculty and administration to talk to incoming students about research opportunities, scholarship opportunities, and managing schoolwork in season. Dustin says, "I love SAAC both for the charitable aspect of our events and also because bringing athletics and the rest of the school closer is extremely rewarding." He serves as a role model for SAAC and other student-athletes because of his can-do attitude and his willingness to help and lead any project.

Looking towards swim season, Dustin thinks the distance group can take big steps. He appreciates the new freshmen that have joined the distance group because he says that their speed will help push the group. Last year Dustin dropped six seconds off of his 500-yard freestyle, and he feels like he can make a similar improvement this year. "Another drop like that," he says, "would bring me into the possibility of going to NCAAs- an experience I am determined to have before I graduate." With the work ethic that he puts forth in everything he does, look for Dustin's name in March!