D E V I N S O N.  C.  P H A R R. '00

The following feature article appeared in the campus publication Mosaic in December, 1999.

ENGENDERING A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY

People are important to Devinson "Devin" C. Pharr ’00. During his three and a half years at Trinity he has spent much of his time getting to know many of the students on campus and participating in activities that give them a sense of community. As a resident assistant (RA), former class president, acting president of the Paintball Club, a senior editor for the student newspaper, The Trinity Tripod, in addition to many other affiliations, Pharr is deeply involved in the College community; yet he maintains a strong academic record and has earned a reputation as a devoted and diligent student.

When Pharr, a Williamstown, MA native, stayed overnight at Trinity as a prospective student, he was fascinated by the way four seemingly mismatched Trinity roommates he stayed with were able to live in apparent harmony. Understanding their fellowship as part of the College’s strong sense of itself as a community, Pharr declined admission offers from seven other colleges to attend Trinity. Since enrolling at the College, Pharr has dedicated himself not only to his academics but also to promoting a sense of community by applying his skills as a writer and his many extracurricular activities.

Curiosity about the world
In his first year, Pharr became involved in the yearlong decolonization series, an examination of the events that transformed the world from an arrangement of colonial powers to a new world order. Assistant Professor of International Studies Vijay Prashad, who also participated in the program, recalls Pharr as being one of its early enthusiasts. Since their first encounter, Pharr has taken three courses with Prashad. Says his professor, "Devin is full of a cantankerous curiosity about everything in the world. He does not accept anything at face value nor does he dismiss things easily. Devin is always searching for a reason to believe, so he fights through his ideas, which is clearly demonstrated in his Tripod column."

Serving the community
In addition to his involvement at the Tripod, Pharr is currently serving as an RA for a second year and providing an important service to the campus community. He explains, "RAs are undercover cops, parents, friends, the voice of reason, and the hand of justice all at once." After serving on Hall Council, Pharr was encouraged to pursue a position as an RA by other RAs who recognized his leadership and organizational abilities. In that same year, Pharr was elected as the junior class president.

Pharr also uses his love of sports to bring students together. In high school, Pharr participated in basketball, tennis, and soccer. He has continued his love of sports on an intramural basis at Trinity, where he belongs to the Ultimate Frisbee team, is acting president of the Trinity Paintball Club, and a WRTC Trinity Radio football and serves as basketball sports broadcaster.

A creative writing major
Pharr’s many writing activities helped to confirm his choice of major, a decision, he admits, that was not particularly difficult for him. He has always enjoyed writing. "Somebody told me once that I’m good at it," he recalls. "Whether or not it’s true, it stuck." As an editor for the Tripod, he uses the forum to share his opinions and ideas with the Trinity community. "It is a chance to put down in print all those great ideas that come to your head but you never get to say," Pharr explains.

Although his choice of major was not made with future career plans in mind, Pharr believes his work in creative writing will present him with many job possibilities. He has already successfully applied his creative writing skills in real-world environments. During his junior year, he interned with The Enterprise Group, a marketing firm in Farmington, CT, where he helped to review marketing strategies for products of current clients. He also created a mock product to further explore the process of marketing. Last summer, Pharr interned in the public relations department of Cronin & Company, a marketing firm in Glastonbury, CT. There he coordinated projects for clients, such as the Connecticut State Lottery and CT Mass Transit. Through his involvement with the Connecticut State Lottery account, Pharr learned about the process of writing and editing press releases and using them to encourage coverage in newspapers. In his work with CT Mass Transit, Pharr served as "Smartride Stuff" coordinator and was responsible for enrolling local businesses in a new program in which discounts are provided to customers who use the mass transit system.

Through his internships, Pharr has gained a better understanding of ways in which he might apply his writing talents in the future. He is confident that his experiences, both at and outside Trinity, in conjunction with his creative writing major, have prepared him for a variety of different careers. For now, though, he will continue to use the weekly forum provided by the Tripod to keep the Trinity community focused on issues affecting the campus.

-Rebecca A. Pearce ‘00