August 14, 2023
By Chloe Arrington

Love was in the air this summer for two members of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering community. Mechanical engineering student Micah Morris and Georgia Tech alumna Kathryn Smith, ChBE 2023, recently celebrated their engagement with a special touch courtesy of some creativity and the Flowers Invention Studio.

The pair first met in Spring 2019 at the University of North Georgia before, as fate would have it, they both transferred to Georgia Tech in the fall, where Micah joined the Woodruff School, and Kathryn joined the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE).

Though the two were acquaintances, they were enjoying their new Tech experiences in their own circles. In Spring 2020 however, they both became involved in the campus Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM), where they became fast friends and found community with their fellow ministry members. They were regularly socializing and enjoying getting to know ministry members and each other, and when Covid-19 shifted campus life to remote operations, Zoom became a way for the new friends to stay connected.

Socially distanced bike rides through Suwanee Creek Greenway in the summer led to ping-pong and volleyball once everyone returned to campus. In Fall 2020, Kathryn and Micah officially began dating.

Micah has been heavily involved in the Flowers Invention Studio since his first semester on campus, taking on various roles such as PI, Laser Master, and Director of Operations. Despite not being in the mechanical engineering program, Kathryn too wanted to be part of the makerspace. After she joined the team, her skills were quickly recognized, and she became a PI and Waterjet Master.

When Micha decided to ask Kathryn to marry him, he knew he needed to make it extra special and reflect on their story. After some careful planning, he drafted, designed, machined, and built a custom engagement ring box in the largest student-run makerspace in the world, using the very skills he had learned there.

At the start of summer, on Kathryn’s birthday, Micah planned a surprise day for her. He took her to the Suwanee Creek Greenway, the same place where they had fostered their friendship back in 2020, and proposed with not only a ring but a ring box that is a piece of art itself.

The walnut and maple box has a series of interconnected pieces that allow it to twist open, resembling the petals of a flower and holding a ring inside, with the ever-important question engraved around the top edge. A small music box installed in the bottom winds up to play one of Kathryn’s favorite songs, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” And, of course, she said yes!

From everyone in the Woodruff School community, congratulations Micah and Kathryn!