Devan Coffey

Devan Coffey

"I will definitely miss the community here. I just remember during the football season when I would be walking somewhere on campus and see someone I did not know, to then have them say hello to me and congratulate me for my performance on the field the previous Friday."

How long have you been enrolled at GCA? 

I have been enrolled at GCA since 2006; I started here in preschool. Therefore, yes, I am a lifer.

What will you miss most about GCA?

I will definitely miss the community here. I just remember during the football season when I would be walking somewhere on campus and see someone I did not know, to then have them say hello to me and congratulate me for my performance on the field the previous Friday. It wouldn’t even be a friend’s parent either, just someone from the church invested in our team. I am definitely going to miss that.

Was there a GCA teacher or staff member that had a significant impact on your life?  How?

There were definitely a couple I can think of, but I would have to say Coach Herman Lathers. He definitely showed me how to be strong (not just literally, even though he is basically the hulk) through literally any circumstance. He never even talked to me specifically about the topic, but his life story and lifestyle is the most inspiring thing I’ve ever heard/seen. It is almost unfathomable how he is where he is today. I won’t go into detail, but I recommend you look this guy up and see for yourself what he has achieved with the countless setbacks he was given. I will never be ungrateful for the circumstance I am in, mainly because of how much God was involved with his life through the struggles, and how he stayed faithful through it all. I believe that God is using him to show others just how possible, the impossible seems.

How has GCA helped you grow in your faith and prepared you for the next season in life?

I believe that recently God has shown me through my circumstances that some teachings in college are extremely skewed toward a certain view. I believe that He has prepared me against the views of false belief.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at GCA?

I think my favorite memory is the entire year of 2019. It was in this year that all of my friends and I all had cars at the same time. Therefore, we all could go eat together and/or hangout whenever we wanted. We also won the region championship in football this year, which was what capped off a great year.

What are your plans after graduation from GCA?

I plan on staying relatively local for college. I am still deciding on either Pellissippi State Community College, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, or Carson Newman University. I am going to go into a business major and may possibly go into the field of sales after college. This may change, however, due to God’s plan being somewhat unpredictable sometimes. I am fine with doing whatever my purpose is for God’s will.