“Veterans are natural-born leaders who work efficiently in teams and strive for nothing short of excellence”, says Muhammad Ghafoor, the President of Northeastern University’s Student Veterans Organisation. Recently, the university celebrated its annual Veterans Day at the Boston campus and Ghafoor invited his fellow student-veterans to bring forward their commitments to service into the classroom.
In front of the crowd, Ghafoor put forward some inspiring words. He believes that as student-veterans, one must take these traits and continue to live by them, share them with their peers and learn from one another. Joseph E. Aoun, Northeastern President, then expanded upon the definition of leadership. He also introduced another student-veteran, U.S. Army Captain Theresa Todd. She talked about how she shifted from military life to civilian life to student life yet deep down, she has not transitioned but is still serving. Todd is a student of the Align program at the Northeastern University, which gives you an opportunity to earn a master’s degree in computer science.
The three of them highlighted Northeastern’s longstanding commitment to its student-veterans and those who served military efforts in other ways. The partnership between Northeastern and the military began during World War I, when the university first formed the Student Army Training Corps. Other speakers included Neal F. Finnegan, chair emeritus of the Northeastern University Board of Trustees and Andy McCarty, who directs the Dolce Center for the Advancement of Veterans and Service members. The inaugural recipient was Greg Tutunjian, a 1974 graduate of Northeastern who has volunteered over the years to provide technology training.
The university is also home to the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security, a hub of security-related research between faculty and federal agencies, situated in Burlington, Massachusetts. It is recognised nationally and has a particular focus on foiling terrorist threats, developing sensing technology, and preventing cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, websites, and battlefield units.
Shahjadi Jemim Rahman