Middle Georgia State College

Mm-hmm.

It's now called Middle Georgia State University.

And, uh, had a m- electronic music lab recording rig down there.

We were doing digital recording before the big studios in Atlanta were doing it.

I don't know what's next for Rick Devens.

Maybe I go back to Middle Georgia State University and say, hey, is my job still available? That'd be nice.

But I know I promised my son before I left thinking I had no chance of winning.

I said, yeah, I'll get you that really expensive Lego set if I win.

Tell us about your path.

So born and raised, uh, family roots go back several generations right here in middle Georgia, and always, you know, uh, as I was finishing up my time at Middle Georgia State University, formerly Macon State College, when I was there, had a professor that just really clicked well with, and he was in the economic development business, was just teaching on the side, actually just recently retired, Mr. Pat Topping.

Uh, thought very highly of him.

Love Pat.

And I think that that's such a fascinating story because there are so many people that may be listening to this podcast, or they have children and, you know, then they're in their early 20s and you graduate college and you're like, "What in the world do I do now?"

Funny you say that.

I just was being interviewed as part of the Middle Georgia State University's upcoming gala, and they kinda asked, you know, "What should people..." Uh, it, w- when they ask you for advice, what they're asking is, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Yeah, 'cause you're right, I had zero idea what I wanted to do and was just trying to find something that made sense to me.

And yeah, he definitely kind of opened the door to this field that I'm in, and it fascinated me and it's, uh, uh, I've loved every minute of it.

Aaron had literally just taken the GACE, which is the Georgia Test for Graduate School Admission.

So he was planning to attend Middle Georgia State University for graduate school to become a high school government or civics teacher and eventually earn a PhD and teach political science at the college level.

So truly, the sky was the limit for Aaron.

He was young, just 21 years old.