MEET THE FACULTY
Photos by Alicia Gautreaux
Devin Hunter ‘16 From welding student to welding faculty Students who enroll in Daytona State College’s daytime welding program might find something rather non-traditional behind the instructor’s welding helmet and face shield - a young, freckle-faced artisan wearing pearl earrings named Devin Hunter. Devin is the newest instructor in DSC’s Welding Technology program, a four-semester, applied vocational certificate program that takes a hands-on approach to teaching proficiency at various welding techniques, as well as blueprint reading and safety. And while Devin stands barely 5 feet tall, make no mistake about it, she’s a take-charge person who knows her stuff. “I think Devin is a perfect fit for us, and that’s why we hired her,” said Tim Colburn, assistant chair of the program. “She’s hard-nosed, and in this industry you have to be.” A graduate of the college’s welding program herself, Devin said the journey into her career started with a leap of faith. When she graduated from DeLand High School in 2013, she was soon off to Brigham Young University in Idaho to study movie production.
“It didn’t go well, though,” she said. “I just didn’t have the drive.”So she came home and enrolled at Daytona State, where she began pursuing her associate of arts degree. “That didn’t go well for me either,” she said. “I just wasn’t very good in a classroom setting, so my mother and I came together and brainstormed.” Devin’s mother, Donna Mixon, an English professor at DSC, knew that Devin, 23, loved to work with her hands, build things and solve problems in a creative way. “She’s not the type of person who likes sitting in a chair for hours on end, so I encouraged her to think out of the box,” said Mixon. “We saw the welding program as an opportunity to build a career based on her long-held interests, and it seems like it’s been the right path for her.” Devin entered the program knowing nothing about welding. “I was pretty nervous about what I was getting myself into,” she recalled. Colburn, who was her instructor, gave no quarter. “I tell everyone who enrolls in the program, no matter who it is, that they will be shown no special preference,” he said.
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“Nobody will lift anything for you. You must be fully independent.” Devin took to the program like a natural. When she graduated in 2016, she landed a job with Pall Corp. in DeLand, where she helped make stainless steel filters for the military.
When the position opened at DSC, Colburn knew who to call. “I knew that Devin understood the complete cycle required to be an expert in the field,” he said. “This program is very structured, and Devin was driven throughout. I knew that transitioning to teaching would be easy for her.” She’s happy to be in a trade that she loves and grateful for finding her path. “I tried planning my education and all that went by the wayside,” she said. “It goes to show that you shouldn’t be afraid to step out of the norm. It can be very rewarding if you go for something you love to do.”
