UF’s first art and mechanical engineering major combines creativity with STEM skills
Captivated by cubism, color, construction, and deconstruction, Rokheyatou “Roxie” Faye is the first Gator to double major in art and mechanical engineering at the University of Florida.
Her creative and technical focus epitomizes how UF students are diversifying their academic pursuits to get a leg up in the competitive job market. At a university that encourages cross-disciplinary academics, this pathway also helps students approach scientific challenges with creative perspectives, leading them to find innovative, real-world solutions.
“I was always taking things apart and putting them back together [when I was younger],” said Faye, a third-year student, who started out at UF as an engineering student. “I liked playing with LEGOs and deconstructing my Barbies, making a mess. I thought it was fascinating. It made my parents upset, but I found it interesting how you could make and manipulate things.”
But it wasn’t until Faye’s sophomore year in college that she brought the creativity component into her studies. During a study abroad summer program in France, while in the cathedral-laden Lille, she admired the art on the ancient museum walls and set a new career course for herself – adding art as a second major.
An inspiring pathway
By the time Faye had made this academic move, she had already been living her best life at UF. She came to Gainesville from her hometown of Miramar, Florida. Her family is originally from Senegal, where her father still lives, and Faye speaks French and Wolof (a Senegalese language). She also plays the kora – a 22-string West African guitar that is about half her size.
Faye dove into campus life early at UF, serving on the fundraising committee for Engineers Without Borders Nepal as a freshman, and the organization raised $30,000 for projects that year. Faye is also a research assistant for a National Science Foundation-funded project on peer-mentoring preparation in makerspaces called Mentoring You is Learning for Me.
“I am creating and filming training videos for future teaching assistants in makerspaces,” Faye said of the project. “We cover issues such as learning to ‘fail forward’ in engineering and troubleshooting with students.”
Faye is already inspiring mentees and making an impression on faculty.
“Roxie is an amazing student, engineer, artist, community member, and peer mentor,” said Pam Dickrell, Ph.D., the associate dean for student affairs for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the primary investigator for the peer-mentoring project.
An inquisitive mind
Joel Parker, the assistant director for the College of Engineering’s Student Development and First-Year Advising, attributes much of Faye’s success to being inquisitive.
“Roxie is not afraid of experiencing new or challenging things, but instead she is willing to observe and respond in multiple forms by being a maker,” Parker said. “I think that is at the heart of being creative, and it is what drives Roxie.”
Faye’s current medium is painting, but the trappings of engineering add new possibilities. Her latest obsession is 3D-printed designs – a passion she indulged during a recent engineering design in society class.
“Once I graduate, I'd love to work in a museum space,” Faye said. “I want to do exhibition design, and I'd love to have that mechanical-engineering knowledge informing what I do. I also need the art knowledge so I know about the history and how best to support the works that are there.”
Faye certainly has a full plate for a UF undergraduate. Or any human, really. Yet, Faye contends, that is what college is for: Dive in.
“I definitely didn't have as much access to the resources and the community as I do here,” Faye said. “So, as soon as I saw all the opportunities at UF, I had no choice but to take them.”