Neighbor Spotlight: Fox Chapel Area senior and aspiring engineer Isabella Krisky earns LEED green associate certificate

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would like to nominate someone as a Neighbor Spotlight, see foxchapelherald.com, select the “Post Story” button in the upper right corner, click the “New Article” button and complete the form to publish your nomination. Questions? Email Neighborhood News Network editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com.

Fox Chapel Area senior Isabella Krisky learned at a young age the intricacies of engineering.

With her family, the Indiana Township teen built battle bots, potato guns, a deck and a shed.

“My father is very skilled with his hands and exposed me to engineering principles when I was very young,” Krisky said. “I learned how to draw designs and blueprints on 3D modeling software in elementary school, and how to follow a process to see a project to completion.

“I was always involved in every step of our home renovation projects and my father’s ideas, from designing to buying materials to using complicated machinery.”

Those childhood experiences sparked her passion for creating and building, something she plans to pursue as a career in engineering.

The 17-year-old aspires to work for the Environmental Protection Agency, either in a national park or with an environmental lobbying group.

“While there are a lot of careers in environmental engineering offered by major companies, I would like to use my talents to make a positive effect on society and the general public,” Krisky said.

Krisky is the first student in district history to pass the LEED Green Associate exam.

The credential is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and affirms a person’s elite comprehension of green building principles.

“The most significant motivator was simply because I truly enjoy that content and wanted to expand my knowledge in a field I hope to be a part of in the future,” Krisky said.

The teen will attend Carnegie Mellon University in the fall to pursue a degree in environmental engineering.

Her high school engineering teacher, Justin Papariello, suggested that Krisky take the LEED exam. He saw that topics included rainwater collection and natural landscape adaptation, issues that Krisky is passionate about.

“It is very rare for high school students nationwide to take the exam,” he said.

In addition to taking accelerated and Advanced Placement science classes at FCA, Krisky has taken an advanced engineering and innovation class that is designed to prepare students for college courses in engineering, architecture and other STEM-related fields.

“Bella is a fabulous ambassador of Fox Chapel Area High School and its technology department,” Papariello said. “During her time here, she exemplified the characteristics of a motivated, intelligent and ambitious student. She will be an attribute to Carnegie Mellon University and a superior future engineer.”

During her time at FCA, Krisky participated in the high school’s various musical offerings, including playing violin in the pit for the spring musical and performing with the Ambassador’s Orchestra.

For the past three years, she has run a program called Pop-Up Concerts where a small group of orchestra students pick a random venue and perform for a small audience.

“I truly love these concerts, as they give orchestra students an opportunity to play live music for people that do not always have that chance and bring joy out of the classroom,” Krisky said. “They have been a passion project of mine over the years, and I have pushed hard for them to expand throughout our community.”

The past year forced Krisky and her counterparts to think outside the box. They weren’t willing to give up performing for strangers.

“The quarantine did not allow us to play anything in person, so we have been creating virtual concerts where small groups record certain pieces and we cut them together into a video,” she said. “We send them out to the nursing homes and our other frequented locations. We also created videos for frontline workers and book read-alongs with music.”

Most recently, Krisky’s time has been spent on the softball diamond, with the Foxes making a run to the WPIAL semifinals and gearing up for the state playoffs which begin June 7.

The outfielder hopes to spend her summer interning with a firm that uses LEED standards.

“Passing the LEED exam has helped me by giving me a more detailed look into the real-life applications of an environmental engineering degree and careers I could pursue in the future,” she said.

“Studying for this exam also helped me prepare for college. I had to be strict with my time management and study tools to be successful.”