A Ripple Effect

Devanny King Returns to Campus to Educate and Empower

In August of 2011, Devanny King made the trip from Medina, Ohio to Georgetown College, starting a journey around the world. Ohio to Kentucky to Australia to Barcelona to Beijing.

In August of 2021, she returned to the place she calls home, serving as adjunct professor at Georgetown College.

“This place expanded my horizons, developed tools I didn’t know I had, and set me on a path I never knew I wanted to walk,” King said. “Now I hope to give the same back this semester as I’ve been welcomed home to teach, challenge, and guide these students.”

She became the first Georgetown College women’s basketball player to continue her career professionally, playing for two teams in Perth, Australia and one in Barcelona, Spain. She planned to play a fourth season when the pandemic hit and altered her path. In addition to all that, she was working internationally for radio stations and management corporations – Beijing Starz International, CRCC Asia, and 98five Sonshine FM.

“Basketball has been a love for as long as I can remember,” King said. “Georgetown only fueled this as teammates and coaches expanded my game.”

MORE THAN AN ATHLETE

However, it was not only on the court that she was seeing personal growth and deepening assurance in herself.

“I truly feel like during my time at Georgetown the faculty and staff provided such a transformative experience for their students. For myself, they challenged me to think critically, provided thoughtful considerations from different perspectives, and ultimately instilled confidence within me,” King said. “As my playing days have paused, I want to actualize on giving students that same experience my professors gave me and share my world travels with others to bridge cultural gaps.” King earned Georgetown’s highest honor upon graduating – President’s Award – as well as the Mid-South Conference Female Athlete of the Year and NAIA All-American.

MINDFUL GOALS

Her approach to her next steps has always been, “How do I help the next person; how do I enrich a life and thus the world?” The ripples have been felt far and wide.

“Devanny was the first student that I met when I came to Georgetown College. Her kindness, aura, and passion for Georgetown College were contagious, and still are to this day,” said GC Alumni Director Olivia Coleman-Dunn. “As teammates, we found that balance of being competitive, but not being lost in the mission. I strongly admire her courage to soar to new heights in life, and I am blessed to not only call her my friend, but my sister.”

Dr. Susan Dummer, professor and chair of the communication and media studies department, knew King’s return to Kentucky could be a fantastic opportunity for Georgetown College.

“Without a doubt, when I found out she’d be here and not playing abroad or guiding another international corporation, I immediately wanted her to teach our entrepreneurial leadership class. I knew she would be a huge asset to our students,” Dummer said. “Her wisdom, experience, and the way she engages with others is a perfect example of the dynamic education of heart and mind for which Georgetown strives.”

Along with serving the fall semester on campus, King is a business coach for Kentucky Small Business Development Center and a board member of You Are, a non-profit organization aiming to empower the younger generation’s holistic development of mind, body, and spirit.

“When I look at all I’ve done and where I’ve been since graduating in 2015, it doesn’t seem possible,” King said. “A decade ago when I rolled up on this campus, I couldn’t have seen this path. Georgetown did, though, and it does the same for everyone who walks onto campus. This is home, no matter where I go or what my next adventure is. This is home.”