DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Andi Hannigan
Andrea “Andi” Hannigan
Andi Hannigan grew up running around Mississippi State University’s Starkville campus. With both parents employed by the university, she had little doubt where she would go to college. What she didn’t anticipate was the turn her career path would take.
“My mother worked at Forest Product Laboratories until her death in 2002, and my father is still an instructor in aerospace engineering,” Hannigan said. “I enrolled in aerospace engineering at MSU before eventually graduating in the very first class of veterinary technologists in 2012.”
Hannigan became a certified veterinary technologist in the spring of 2013. Her workday at the College of Veterinary Medicine includes both routine and more in-depth cases. She is especially interested in dental cases.
“We see a number of dental cases, which can vary from a routine dental cleaning to patients who need extractions because of fractures or pathological changes,” she said. “Occasionally I will assist with root canals.”
Hannigan enjoys her job, but it’s not all about the cute factor.
“Most people usually assume that the best part of my job is getting to see puppies and kittens all the time, but I’d have to say that my favorite part is actually getting to see a patient as it grows up -- especially those I met as a student and now see as a technician,” she said. “I like meeting the pet and then seeing it work through any problems it may have.”
Outside of work, Hannigan keeps herself busy. She is a certified volunteer fire fighter, a Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience instructor at Camp Seminole, and a former member of the Mississippi Brawl Stars roller derby team. She bought her first motorcycle when she was 16. Growing up, she learned to fly single and twin engine planes with her father, who is a flight instructor. She also enjoys horseback riding.
Editor's note: The Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine Spotlight Employee profiles are provided by the Office of Agricultural Communications at Mississippi State. For more information, please click here.
