Seeing Double

For many people, Australia is a once-in-a-lifetime travel destination. But for twin brothers D’ron and T’ron Strapp, their academic prowess landed them a week of exploration in the Land Down Under while they were still in high school—leaving plenty of opportunity to return someday.

The Strapps, born and raised in The Bahamas, visited Australia in 2019 to take part in the World Scholars Cup, an annual international academic competition. The Cup has also afforded them visits to Barcelona, Spain, and Yale University in Connecticut for the global- and championship-level competitions, respectively.

As they enter the final years of study for their bachelor’s degrees—both are pursuing mechanical engineering, with T’ron minoring in mathematics—the duo stays busy both on and off the Long Island campus as they work on research projects and participate in extracurriculars.

This past spring, the brothers participated in the Undergraduate Research and Entrepreneurship Program (UREP), where they presented “Home Invasion Detection and Prevention” with two of their peers. They showcased their design for a cost-efficient, domestic mobile robot that can sound alarms and take photos, helping deter thieves and minimize the number of unsolved home invasions.

As a new academic year approaches, the twins look forward to working on a project to create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable renewable energy production system. Separately, D’ron, who is involved with the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center’s (ETIC) certification program, will continue working on his 3-D printing skills and other projects. He is focused on learning techniques and software programs and will shadow more experienced students to improve his skill set.

Outside of the classroom, T’ron keeps himself plenty busy. Last year, he juggled roles as an orientation leader, a student ambassador, the president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and a Student Government Association (SGA) senator for the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences—which earned him the Outstanding SGA Senator of the Year Award.

In 2024, he’s continued as an ASME member, is a tutor in the Office of Academic Success and Enrichment, and stepped up as a senior orientation leader, the SGA chief of staff of the executive board, and a student ambassador coordinator in the Office of Admissions, where he provides tours to prospective students and performs administrative duties to manage the ambassador team. He will also continue for his second year on the Strategic Action Plan team, where he provides constructive feedback on proposed ideas to enhance the university and the student experience.

D’ron also has an extracurricular résumé with his history as a Peer Success Guide. Just as he found a new home at New York Tech after leaving The Bahamas, D’ron organized on-campus events and connected one-on-one with new students to help them feel at home at the university.

Their day-to-day activities don’t stop once they leave the university grounds—or Long Island, for that matter. The Strapp brothers are also involved in the 30th company of the Boys’ Brigade in Nassau, Bahamas. A global Christian youth organization, the Boys’ Brigade fosters friendship and fellowship among young boys. The twins have been involved since they were 5 years old, rising through the ranks to a position allowing them to give back. As warrant officers, the brothers dedicate their time to looking after other boys in the organization, ensuring they receive the same character-building opportunities that they did.

Looking ahead, T’ron hopes to become a senior design engineer and, further down the line, an educator. D’ron looks forward to philanthropy as he aspires to build a successful career in biomedical engineering and establish a nonprofit to support families who cannot afford medical care. To achieve their goals, the boys plan to take advantage of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences’ B.S. with Accelerated M.S. Options program and will pursue their master’s in mechanical engineering. T’ron has his sights set even further and plans to obtain a Ph.D. in engineering with a concentration in mechanical engineering.

“Our past and present academic success is deeply rooted in our faith and family support,” the brothers say. “Our parents have always pushed and encouraged us to persevere. Being the first generation in our family to attend college, we decided to embark on this journey together, offering a unique opportunity for mutual reflection and growth.”