{"686802":{"#nid":"686802","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Family Affair: Father and Daughter Celebrate Triple Jacket Milestone","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Sophia Mavris crosses the stage during one of Georgia Tech\u2019s three Fall 2025 graduation ceremonies, she won\u2019t be the only member of her family in regalia. Her father, Georgia Tech Class of 1934 Distinguished Regents\u2019 Professor, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ae.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/dimitri-mavris\u0022\u003EDimitri Mavris\u003C\/a\u003E will be on stage as part of the faculty \u2014 and as the proud parent of a brand-new biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate. The moment will also cement a unique family distinction \u2014 with both father and daughter having attained\u0026nbsp;three Georgia Tech degrees, making them a pair of Triple Jackets. Dimitri earned his bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s, and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering from Tech in the 1980s. Sophia began amassing her Tech credentials some 30 years later.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrowing up, Sophia says her father\u2019s academic career gave her early exposure to the world of engineering, but she never felt pressured to follow in his footsteps.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was always around it,\u201d said Sophia, who earned her bachelor\u2019s degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering in 2020 and her master\u2019s degree in biomedical engineering in 2024. \u201cBut I was allowed to pave my own pathway. We were both engineers at Georgia Tech, but we were in two separate domains.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Dimitri, whose arrival at Georgia Tech began almost by chance, the Institute quickly became a defining force in his life. Nearly 45 years ago, he left his native Greece \u2014 where aerospace engineering wasn\u2019t offered \u2014 after his sister married a Tech graduate research assistant who encouraged him to attend the Institute.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat he found was a rigorous curriculum, outstanding faculty, and peers who shared his passion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn the last four decades, Georgia Tech has evolved quite a bit,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is one of the premier institutions \u2014 in terms of excellence, the caliber of students we attract, and the reputation we have. I thought that this was the best place for me.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs did Sophia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer academic journey began with a love of math and science in high school. Combined with an early introduction to Tech\u2019s chemical and biomedical engineering programs through her father\u2019s \u0026nbsp;colleague, her decision to pursue that journey was easy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech is the best in the state and the Southeast for STEM,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was a no-brainer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile they shared a campus, the two enjoyed their own \u201cbubbles,\u201d as Sophia describes them. With biomedical engineering on one side of campus and aerospace on the other, they built their identities independently, but Sophia found comfort in knowing support was never far.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf I ever had a bad day or needed advice, he was just a walk away,\u201d she says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Dimitri, his presence on campus positioned him to offer mentorship and counsel to Sophia as she navigated her Tech path, including the timing of internships and progress through research milestones. \u201cBy knowing the system,\u201d he says, \u201csometimes you can avoid wrong moves.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth recall fond Tech memories \u2014 from family trips; to volleyball, football, and basketball games; to Dimitri\u2019s experience during the 1996 Olympics, when the Institute helped the city prepare its hosting bid by\u0026nbsp;creating virtual representations of possible venues. This ultimately led to Atlanta hosting the 1996 Games and\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech hosting Olympic athletes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Sophia reflects on her years at the Institute, she acknowledges the rigor that defines the Georgia Tech experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe coursework is very challenging \u2014 it\u2019s a badge of honor to say you made it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd at this year\u2019s Fall Commencement, Dimitri will be at the finish line, once again donning his regalia to hood his Ph.D. graduates for almost the 70th time. Gesturing to the rows of bound dissertations on his bookshelves, he says, \u201cI hold the record, with 310 Ph.D.s graduated. So having one for my daughter is very special.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Sophia Mavris crosses the stage during one of Georgia Tech\u2019s three Fall 2025 graduation ceremonies, she won\u2019t be the only member of her family in regalia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"When Sophia Mavris crosses the stage during one of Georgia Tech\u2019s three Fall 2025 graduation ceremonies, she won\u2019t be the only member of her family in regalia. "}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-12-10 15:38:59","changed_gmt":"2025-12-19 20:04:31","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678815":{"id":"678815","type":"image","title":"Dimitri and Sophia Mavris","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDimitri and Sophia Mavris. Photo by Rob Felt.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765384093","gmt_created":"2025-12-10 16:28:13","changed":"1765384093","gmt_changed":"2025-12-10 16:28:13","alt":"Dimitri and Sophia Mavris","file":{"fid":"262900","name":"26-R10410-P77-008-web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/10\/26-R10410-P77-008-web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/10\/26-R10410-P77-008-web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1761852,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/10\/26-R10410-P77-008-web.jpg?itok=C3DQVjPN"}},"678816":{"id":"678816","type":"image","title":"Dimitri and Sophia Mavris. Photo by Rob Felt.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDimitri and Sophia Mavris. Photo by Rob Felt.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765384124","gmt_created":"2025-12-10 16:28:44","changed":"1765384124","gmt_changed":"2025-12-10 16:28:44","alt":"Dimitri and Sophia Mavris. Photo by Rob Felt.","file":{"fid":"262901","name":"26-R10410-P77-009-web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/10\/26-R10410-P77-009-web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/10\/26-R10410-P77-009-web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1796363,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/10\/26-R10410-P77-009-web.jpg?itok=j3CVjAF9"}}},"media_ids":["678815","678816"],"groups":[{"id":"660364","name":"Aerospace Engineering"},{"id":"1237","name":"College of Engineering"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kadams85@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKelly Adams\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ESenior Writer\/Editor\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}