Devyn Kesner thought he was destined to be in the Marines for the rest of his career but was surprised to discover that his future was different from what he expected. 

Kesner found himself student teaching with Brian Tackitt, a history teacher at FHS. 

Growing up in Clay City factored into his choice to student teach at FHS. It is close to home, and his family, which makes the home arrangement an easy choice.

“At one point, I thought of becoming a journalist.”  He expressed that he had written for his high school newspaper.

Kesner learned he wanted to become a teacher between 2019 and 2020. 

“I was promoted to teach a group of boys.” He says “I enjoyed teaching and seeing their growth.”

For three years, Kesner was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.  He also spent a year in Australia.

We asked Kesner what influenced him to join the army.  

“My grandfather has influenced my career,”  He states.  “The free college was also nice,” Kesner says, talking about his career in the Marines.

Kesner attended Eastern Illinois College and his history professor, Dr. Smith inspired him the most throughout his college career.

Having such an impact in your future field changes your point of view on many things.

Kesner has always found history interesting, “The past informs the present and it’s important to know where we came from.”

He claims he has no favorite historical event, and shares with us “I rather enjoy the reconstruction aspect where conflict has stemmed.”

Kesner loves learning about historical topics that are unfamiliar to him.  

“Education is what I am looking forward to the most during my time teaching,” He shared, “I enjoy learning alongside the students.”

In the future, Kesner is planning on transferring to a school near Champaign to become a full-time teacher. He wishes to join a Ph.D. program further on in his career.