Vera Giacomazzi (photo by Abigail Dean | Ohio Athletics)
Editor’s Note: The Happy Beginnings series features recent College of Arts & Sciences graduates who are getting started in careers, graduate school and service.
Vera Giacomazzi, a senior in Biological Sciences and a standout on the volleyball court, has been accepted to the Università di Siena in Tuscany, Italy, to study genetic counseling.
At OHIO, Giacomazzi has been a force on the women’s volleyball team, receiving many awards. In 2019 she had a highlight-reel year:
- Named Mid-American Conference Setter of the Year
- Made First-team All-MAC
- Named Academic All-MAC
- Started all 31 matches for Ohio
- Appeared in 119 sets
- Had 1,352 assists and averaged 11.36 assists per set
- Finished 16th in the nation in assists per set and first in the MAC.
An international student from Venice, Italy, Giacomazzi came to Ohio University as a recruit for the volleyball team. On her visit she met Dr. Soichi Tanda and was welcomed by all the Biological Sciences professors and student she encountered. She says she felt that the professors were eager to support her and her interests in any way possible, in the classroom and as a student athlete.
Tanda says of Giacomazzi, “I saw her working very hard on the volleyball court and in the classroom. She constantly worked hard on challenging assignments. She is never satisfied with any decent work and always goes the extra mile. She does it on the court and in the classroom.”
At OHIO, Giacomazzi has been a part of the Genetic Counseling Club through Ohio State University and Turn it Gold! by Passion Works—all while juggling the complexities that come with being an athlete and a Biological Sciences Pre-Professional major.
Next year, Giacomazzi will begin her graduate career in the Università di Siena genetic counseling program. This is her dream profession as it combines a multitude of different types of science and puts the knowledge she has gained here at OHIO to immediate use. Genetic counseling is a relatively new and expanding field and has broad opportunities such as assisting individuals with understanding their risk factors for many diseases such as cancer, dementia, infertility, etc.
Article by Hannah Cordes
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