Devin Gaines

Devin Thomas Gaines (July 16, 1984 – July 10, 2007) was a college student at the University of Connecticut who attracted media attention by earning five Bachelor's degrees simultaneously on May 6, 2007.

Early life

Gaines, of Stamford Connecticut, was raised by a single mother in public housing, after his father died of a heart attack when Gaines was 9.^[1] He attended both King Low Heywood Thomas School and Stamford High School, graduating from the latter. After graduation Gaines matriculated at the University of Connecticut, where he was the recipient of a University of Connecticut leadership scholarship and a scholarship from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.^[2]

Life at The University of Connecticut

Gaines matriculated to the University of Connecticut in 2002, graduating five years later in May 2007 with five Bachelor's Degrees. During his time there he completed 276 credits earning degrees in computer science, cognitive science, theater studies, linguistics and psychology, and an individualized degree in cinema, culture and cognition.^[3][4]

While at UConn, he was inducted as a member of Psi Chi and Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Societies, and had been accepted for a master's degree in Educational Communication and Technology at New York University.^[2] At the time of his death, Gaines was working after graduation as an information technology associate for Pension Associates, a tax consulting firm.

Death and memorial

On July 10, 2007, Gaines, aged 22, drowned in Deep River, Connecticut, in Blakeslee Pond, a gravel pit quarry on private property, while swimming with friends.^[5]

After his death, the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program established a scholarship program in Gaines's memory,^[6] and the University of Connecticut's Stamford Campus named The Devin T. Gaines Student Involvement and Activities Center in his honor.^[7]

References