Engineering graduate student earns governor’s Student of the Year award

Fisher Rizk, a graduate student studying industrial and systems engineering, was recently recognized by Gov. Kay Ivey as the 2023 Alabama Student of the Year by the Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Ivey presented Rizk with the award on Oct. 13 at a ceremony organized by the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services at the Department of Archives and History. The ceremony recognized people with disabilities who are building success at work and employers who are offering these employees opportunities.

“My goal is to create a top-notch workforce where everyone’s unique skills and talents are recognized and utilized to their fullest extent,” Ivey said. “In Alabama, it’s not just about reducing unemployment. It’s about matching the right people with the right jobs. As we mark National Disability Awareness Month, this ceremony today honors those who have gone the extra mile to open doors for all who wish to enter the workforce.”

Rizk, who is originally from Arab, earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Auburn and is now pursuing the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree. He chose to study chemical engineering to challenge himself.

“I had no idea what I was getting into when I first started, but I ended up falling in love with the subject and developed a genuine appreciation for the material that I learned,” he said.

A highlight of Risk’s time as an undergraduate student was playing on the Auburn University wheelchair basketball team for five seasons, from 2017 to 2022. While there was a recreational team in previous years, 2017 was the first season that Auburn became an official intercollegiate wheelchair basketball team with a full student roster.

“I was actually the first ever college recruit to commit to the team,” Risk said. “Since we were basically a brand new team, we were definitely a little shaky my first few years. But I witnessed a drastic evolution of this team over the five years that I played. Now, the team is one of the most competitive in the country and could be in contention for a national championship this upcoming season.”

One lesson Rizk learned from his undergraduate studies was that he didn’t want to pursue a career as a design engineer. He also discovered an interest in quality control and project management.

“The MEM program provides a variety of classes and opportunities pertaining to these topics,” he said. “I chose to pursue this degree to diversify my education and open more opportunities to manage people and projects in the future.”

He added that while his undergraduate studies were more theoretical, the MEM program is extremely practical.

“I feel as though I could take the concepts I learn straight to a manufacturing or project site and implement them immediately,” he said. “I really appreciate the relevance of the material that I learn in the MEM program and have loved it so far.”

Although it meant a lot to Rizk to be recognized for his academic achievements by the governor, he knows there are plenty of other amazing students at Auburn with great academic achievements.

“Every one of those students have challenges in their life that they have to overcome to achieve their goals. It just so happens that my challenges are visible to others,” he said. “So, I hope that in being recognized for this award I can inspire others to overcome their struggles to achieve their goals.”