Education changes lives, and it is changing the life of Brandon Devlin.
“FRCC gave me the tools to ask the right questions,” Brandon says. “Colorado State University has given me the time to come up with my own answers.”
Transfer to CSU
Brandon graduated from FRCC with an Associate of Arts degree and transferred to CSU to study English. He wanted to be a high school teacher.
One semester in at CSU, he decided teaching wasn’t for him. He changed his major to creative writing, subsequently graduating with his bachelor’s degree.
Involvement is critical
Right from the start at CSU, Brandon matched the level of involvement he had at FRCC. At FRCC, Brandon was student coordinator of clubs and organizations. He was a legislative representative to student government. He was a member of a task force that developed the student portal.
At CSU, Brandon became the social media manager for SLiCE – Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement. SLiCE connects students to volunteer opportunities, clubs and organizations, and other leadership development activities. SLiCE is housed in the Lory Student Center, where, in what seems an earlier life, Brandon worked in food service.
SLiCE led to broader experiences, such as participating in a social-justice retreat, leading alternative spring breaks to study immigration and poverty issues, and assisting with days of volunteer service.
“Getting experience at FRCC directly led to getting hired in SLiCE,” Brandon says. “As a result, I found a passion for student development. Had I not encountered people at FRCC and CSU to help me, I wouldn’t have developed this passion.”
On to graduate school
So after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, Brandon enrolled in the Student Affairs in Higher Education graduate program at CSU, one of the top three student affairs programs in the nation. From a pool of 300 applicants, CSU accepted 24 students from across the country and several foreign lands.
Brandon has completed the first year of the two-year program. He is building expertise in four areas – training and development of student leaders, volunteer programming, research for counseling, and conflict resolution and student conduct services.
“I’ll be working on my portfolio,” Brandon says. “My portfolio is a reflective document meant to prove I’m a student-affairs professional.”
Education changes lives
“At FRCC, I had a little idea about what I wanted to do,” Brandon says. “I went from the broad to the specific. At CSU, I’ve started to broaden again. Possibilities are starting to open up.”
That’s education. It’s life-changing.
