Congratulations are in order for Voss A. T. Harrigan, Jr. (known to many as “Teron”) – and his proud family.
On Saturday 13th May, 2023, at the 46th Commencement of the University of the District of Columbia, Voss received his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering degree, with Magna cum Laude honours. Walking with hundreds of “firebirds” among the newly graduated alumni, he received his diploma at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
In attendance were his beloved mother, Kathleen (Yvette) Harrigan, his father (via livestream), Voss (Arne) Harrigan, and his elder sisters, Ilka and Teresa also at the ceremony, who respectively are proud University of the District of Columbia and Howard University alumni, as well.
Notably, those honours represent a level of academic discipline and intellect that should inspire us all, such as getting A’s in: Advances in Manufacturing, Design of Energy System, a Senior Design Project – and Nanoscale Materials and Devices.
His projects included leading his team to take on a NASA project challenge and to develop a lunar dust mitigation system using electrostatics and a negatively ionized thunderon brush! That breakthrough was published and helped the university rank third in the national competition. Soon after, he embarked on another nanotechnology project to optimize a coating for thermal control of spacecraft – and participated in a magnetic antenna US patent now under review.
Voss also “gave back” while advancing his knowledge. In addition to serving as a teaching assistant for the Introduction to Engineering class in 2022, he provided weekly mentoring to high school students selected to compete in building a novel vehicle – and winning their race in a special grand prix event that same year. And, he conducted 3D modeling and printing workshops during summer and winter breaks on behalf of CAM-STAR. The sessions allowed middle and high school students to gain hands-on experience in engineering by sharing his expertise.
Laser focus on every class, project, team and those Voss lifted up paid off: By March of this year, Voss was accepted as a Ph.D. candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, one of the most prestigious schools in the US.
In fact, Georgia Tech boasts globally recognized alumni that include two Nobel laureates, President Carter and Kary Mullis, who invented and applied the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to medicine, and countless renowned leaders in academia, business, the arts, science and engineering, the military, and politics.
May Voss soon take his place in that pantheon of global leadership, applied knowledge and – Anguilla Pride.
