ROCHESTER, NY – Natalia Chabebe, a recent graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology and a member of the fencing team, will join Empire 8 Woman of the Year Emily Lesher of Nazareth College as representatives of the conference in national balloting for the NCAA Woman of the Year.  The honor is given to a student-athlete who excels in academics, athletics, leadership, and service.

“An athlete like Natalia doesn’t come around too often,” said Head Coach Linda Vollkommer-Lynch.  “Not only did she always do what was expected of her, but she also went above and beyond every single day.  Natalia was also driven academically.  We were very fortunate to have her as part of our program.”

Chabebe qualified for the first round of the 2008 NCAA Fencing Championship and was named the Eastern Women’s Fencing Conference’s first Woman of the Year.  She earned second-team national honors by the Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association and ranks fourth all-time at the school in win-loss percentage.

Chabebe earned national All-Academic honors while majoring in mechanical engineering at Stevens and was selected as a National Science Foundation Scholar and Hispanic Foundation Scholar.  She has served as Orientation Leader and peer mentor/tutor on campus, while also volunteering for several years with fundraising efforts for organizations such as Women Rising (dealing with domestic violence) and Animal Care Facility.

She has volunteered with the Hoboken Shelter for the past four years and with the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival in 2008.  Chabebe, a former member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Latin American Society, also served on the Multicultural Greek Council for three years.