Eliza Hill鈥檚 eyes glisten as she recounts witnessing a 7-year-old boy named Hugh with radial dysplasia (club arms) feed himself for the first time. He was able to accomplish this life-changing goal because of a device she and a team from the made at a weekend makeathon at
鈥淭hat moment is forever seared in my brain as the most incredible feeling,鈥� the chemical engineering major said.
And that was just her first year at Vanderbilt. Fast forward to now, and Hill is a leader in Vanderbilt鈥檚 chapter of , a global movement of collaborators designing like the one they made for Hugh.
鈥淣ever in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I could have such an impact, especially as a college student,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love TOM so much, and I am so grateful every single day that I found it.鈥�
Hill said one class in particular has fueled her philosophy of altruistic collaboration.
鈥淢y favorite class has been Professor 鈥檚 course, How To Make (Almost) Anything and Make it Matter. I鈥檝e heard that other schools have 鈥榟ow to make almost anything鈥� classes, but what makes his so unique to Vanderbilt is that we want to make it matter,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Vanderbilt is all about.鈥�
鈥淓liza is driven by empathy and curiosity,鈥� said Galloway, who is also director of making at the Wond鈥檙y, Vanderbilt鈥檚 Innovation Center. 鈥淪he has a unique gift to make everyone feel welcome and included.鈥�
WORLD PERSPECTIVES
You could say that collaboration is built into Hill鈥檚 DNA. She is an identical twin; she and her sister, Nicole, came to Vanderbilt together from Colorado. But their upbringing started much farther away than the Rocky Mountains. Hill and her siblings were born while their family was living and working in Madrid.
鈥淢y parents took a 13-year working adventure in Madrid, so we were all born with Spanish as our first language and went to traditional public schools in Spain,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for my Spanish side, and I loved growing up in two different cultures.鈥�
SKY IS THE LIMIT
The adventure goes beyond living abroad. Her father is a flight instructor, and Hill is working on earning her pilot鈥檚 license.
鈥淚 remember that first time going up into the air鈥擨 was so nervous before I got into the plane; I was filled with all this jittery excitement. But then as soon as I took off, it was a wave of calmness, like 鈥業鈥檝e prepared for this. I feel confident. I feel good.鈥� I guess that鈥檚 a pretty great metaphor for life right now,鈥� she said, laughing.
After Commencement, Hill is combining her chemical engineering major with her love of mechanical engineering and planes with a position at GE Aerospace. And she plans to stay connected with TOM maker groups wherever she lives.
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