Giovanni Abbruzzo

My passion for engineering was ignited in Grade 3 in Virginia Beach, where I participated in a Boy Scouts’ annual wooden car racing challenge. Guided by a family friend who was an engineer, I designed and built my first race car, winning first place in back-to-back years. The thrill of transforming an idea into a tangible, successful product was unparalleled and sparked a lifelong pursuit of innovation and problem-solving.

Shortly after this, my family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where I spent two years broadening my worldview through immersive travel and cross-cultural experiences. Living in a dynamic environment required me to communicate beyond words, as I only knew the basics of both Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin Chinese at the time. This fostered resilience, adaptability, and the ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds—skills I value deeply to this day. Over the years, I have also had the privilege of living and traveling across East Asia, Europe, and North America, further enriching my perspective and interpersonal skills.

Upon returning to North America and settling in the Greater Toronto Area, my passion for engineering flourished. In Grade 11, I was introduced to engineering technologies like CAD software (OnShape) and 3D printing in a Technology Design class. For my final project, I followed the design thinking process to design and fabricate a functional Rube Goldberg machine, blending creativity with technical precision and solidifying my enthusiasm for hands-on design and innovation.

Since beginning my journey at the University of Ottawa, I have joined multiple design teams, contributed to impactful projects, and honed both my technical and interpersonal skills. Whether leading collaborative efforts or engaging in complex problem-solving, I thrive on taking on new challenges and delivering innovative solutions. My experiences living abroad and working in diverse environments have further prepared me to address global engineering challenges. I am driven by a desire to confront the world’s most pressing issues—improving environmental sustainability and engineering a better future for all.