Thomas Sabol

Thomas Sabol, a product of the once industrial town of New Castle, PA, was born to two hard working parents.  Construction became an interest to him at a young age while playing with Tonka trucks and building Lego castles.  Learning the right way to construct something from his grandfather and father, Thomas soon understood the value of hard work.  Thomas graduated from New Castle High school in 2002 where he excelled in the math and sciences.  Entering Penn State he was undecided whether to study Architecture or Architectural Engineering, but soon realized engineering was more his forte.

Over the summers between academic years, Thomas has had a wide range of experiences.  The summer after his freshman year of college he worked as a concrete laborer and gained hands on experience in construction.  The next summer Thomas had his first internship at an architecture firm in his home town, Eckles Architecture, Inc .  There he became familiar with the design process as well as the construction and business side of the industry while working in the construction administration department.  The following summer Thomas immersed himself in the Roman/ Italian culture where he studied Architecture and structures.  Living la dolce vita* in Italy for two months was the greatest experience in his life thus far.  This past summer he interned near our Nation’s capitol in Fairfax, VA where he worked for Facility Engineering Associates, P.C.  There Thomas gained valuable experience on the forensic side of the building industry.

Thomas has finished his senior thesis project!  For his thesis he analyzed the Hilton Hotel at BWI Airport.  He will graduate in December of 2007 with a B.A.E. / M.A.E degree in Architectural Engineering and a minor in Architecture.

In his free time Thomas works for the Intramural Sports Staff where he supervises several intramural sports leagues throughout the academic year.  As well as supervising he is also active in the leagues, bringing home a basketball championship in his sophomore year.  He is also the job placement chair for the Structural Engineers Association (SEA).  Additionally Tom is active in the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) where he was a morale committee member last year and danced for THON this spring.  THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world to raise money for pediatric cancer.

* la dolce vita translates to "the good life"