By Jerome Boettcher | George Mason Athletics

Leading up to one of the largest international airports in the country, Melissa Lobaccaro can see the fruits of her labor. The same can be said about a commuter railroad in Central Florida.

Less than a month before graduation, Lobaccaro has already built up an impressive portfolio. The starting midfielder for the George Mason women's lacrosse team is an aspiring bridge engineer who will graduate next month with her bachelor's degree in civil, environmental and infrastructure engineering.

Currently enrolled in Mason's accelerated master's program, she is taking graduate classes this semester and is expected to wrap up her master's degree in civil engineering next spring.

Plus, even before her senior year started, she received some real-world experience. At the end of next month, she'll return to Manhattan for her second straight summer internship with Jacobs Engineering Group. At the engineering firm, she'll once again work with the bridge team.

Last summer, she helped Jacobs on two largescale projects. Lobaccaro, a native of Commack, N.Y., on Long Island, contributed to the design of two highway exits for the Newark Liberty International Airport. She also chipped in with the construction of bridges for the Florida SunRail, a commuter rail line that runs through Orlando and Central Florida.

For both projects, Lobaccaro assisted in drafting, tabulating calculations, reviewing drawings and executing quality control checks.

"Not too major but pretty major for a student," she said. "It really was interesting to me and I'm really glad I got to do it. It really helped me figure out my future plans and what I wanted to get into."

Lobaccaro sort of stumbled upon civil engineering as a career path.

Since she was young, Lobaccaro has always been enamored with math. She even expected to major in mathematics in college. But during her college search, as she circled Mason as a possibility, she kept coming back to civil engineering.

"It just seemed interesting to me," she said. "I really liked math. I really liked physics. It just seemed to fit. When I came here I ended up loving it so it worked out really well."

When Lobaccaro discovered the internship with Jacobs last year, she narrowed her focus even more to bridge design. After completing her master's degree next year she hopes to land a full-time job – preferably in New York – with a firm working on a large scale projects.

"(The internship) really spiked my interest," she said. "I found that I loved it. It was really awesome because I was pretty confused in what I wanted to do. There are so many options in civil engineering. It was great to find that niche. I definitely want to be in New York City, the concrete jungle. Definitely a lot of infrastructure, a lot of things that need work. A lot of opportunities for jobs."

If her college repertoire is any indication, Lobaccaro should be more than ready for the challenges ahead.

At the beginning of this semester, she held a 3.82 cumulative GPA with a civil, environmental and infrastructure engineering. She is a three-time George Mason Provost Scholar Athlete, which is awarded every spring to Mason student-athletes with a 3.75 GPA or better. She has also made the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll all seven times in her career.

"Every few years a kid comes through a program that is equally talented academically as she is athletically," George Mason head coach Jessy Morgan said. "It's not like I've had to push Lobaccaro academically. She is really self-motivated in that area. I think what we really developed over these last couple years is that confidence on the field. That's really grown.

"I think she has been probably a smart kid her whole life. But I don't think she has been the best player on a team ever and I think this year she just grew into that. If she is not our best player, she is close for what she brings on the draw, defensively and on the attack. She has been our leading scorer for a majority of the year. She has made our attack really dynamic."

The balancing act between student and athlete can be a tight rope to walk. Lobaccaro, however, has enjoyed success in both areas, especially with her play on the field this season.

She has tripled her goals scored from last year (11) and currently ranks second on the team with 33 this season. Her ground balls (21), draw controls (18), caused turnovers (9) and assists (5) have also increased from a year ago.

Morgan believes work put in last season has begun to pay dividends for Lobaccaro.

Due to the rigors of her major, there were times in 2016 Lobaccaro had to miss practice due to class scheduled at the same time. To make up the time missed, Lobaccaro met with Morgan nearly daily for an hour, working on stick work and fitness.

"If she couldn't be at practice, we would just do an hour of individual with just me and her," Morgan said. "She struggled with certain things like catching on the move, shooting. And we just really drilled that home and now she is very good at those things."

For Lobaccaro, the team's success outranks her individual progress.

She takes pride in being part of a senior class that has helped turn around the Patriots. After a seven-win season her freshman year in 2014, Mason has delivered three straight seasons of 10 wins or more. Last year, the Patriots tied a school record with 12 wins and earned the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. This season, they're off to a 6-0 start in A-10 action for their best start to conference play in program history.

"Especially for the seniors, it is something," she said. "When we came here as freshmen, this program was nothing like it is now. To be able to graduate here and say we made history, and last year we had 12 wins, which was also a record, that is just something all the seniors are extremely proud of… (Her time at Mason) has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. I've made amazing friends. I've met amazing professors. I've excelled in school. I've excelled in lacrosse. I couldn't ask for more."