Mathew Pezon ’10: Hitting the Ground Running

By Matt Sinclair ’90

Some people like to hit the ground running when they start a new job. Mathew Pezon ’10 is the type who hits it at a sprint.

Mathew Pezon ’10 refuels Air Products’ H2 bus, which is used on the company’s Allentown campus.

A chemical engineering graduate, Pezon is a process engineer with Air Products in Allentown, Pa., where he interned between his junior and senior years. He is part of the company’s highly competitive three-year career development program for engineers. The participants are immersed in technology-related departments throughout the company and are exposed to a wide array of seminars and networking opportunities.

Pezon is not one to let any good opportunity go to waste. Recently, he had the chance to drive a hydrogen-powered car even though he’s not part of the team developing Air Products’ H2 car fueling stations.

The company was sharing the technology with students at Fleetwood (Pa.) Area High School, Pezon’s high school alma mater. “From meeting people at work, someone knew I’d gone to Fleetwood,” Pezon recalls. “I was asked to show [the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car to] the physics class.”

He enjoyed the opportunity to share the new technology. “I got to drive the car, and it was really interesting. It handles exactly like a gasoline-powered car… I couldn’t notice a difference,” he says. Pezon’s visit was featured in the Kutztown Area Patriot.

As a natural “people person,” Pezon takes on career-related volunteering opportunities quickly and eagerly.

As secretary of Lehigh Valley Engineering Council, he helps coordinate events and speaking engagements and works with other engineering community groups—even hobby groups, such as robot clubs. “What we’re about is promoting engineering of any discipline in the valley,” he says.

Pezon also serves on the board of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in the Lehigh Valley.

The group sponsors a program called “Fe,” which promotes entrepreneurial skills among young Latinos and gives them professional experiences. “It’s something I’m passionate about,” says Pezon, who also earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in Spanish while at Lafayette. “You put in a couple of hours a month, and it can really make a difference in a young person’s life. It shows them what’s out there and helps them aspire and have goals.”