Senior Success Story: Sanger student improves his grades from all F's to straight A's

SANGER, Calif. (KFSN) -- A young man in Sanger made a decision to change his surroundings, and it changed the course of his high school career.

Devin Chatwin was a self-proclaimed "bad kid" growing up.

"I was just being dumb, doing dumb things," Devin said.

He's at his third high school in four years. His past led him to Kings River High.

It's a continuation school in the Sanger Unified School District.

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"I was behind on credits, I had straight F's -- just doing dumb things," Devin said.

David Kilborn, the construction teacher, met Devin as a junior.

"He's a smart kid, but, unfortunately, with an education that was like Swiss cheese. A lot of gaps and a lot of things missing," Kilborn said.

Devin says that around the time he started at the school, he also made some major life changes.

He decided to move out of his single-parent home and went to live with a friend's family.

"My real mom, she's the best mom. Like, you know, I love my momma," Devin said. "But like, the environment? I would've gotten in so much trouble and stuff."

He says the family who took him in started teaching him how to be more independent.

Mr. Kilborn approached him differently from other teachers.

"He treated me like an adult instead of a kid. If you're acting like a kid, we're going to treat you like a kid," Devin said.

His new surroundings helped him flourish.

He joined the wildland firefighting class, and Kilborn says he was natural at construction.

Those skills were proven at a recent Design Build Competition.

Devin and his team finished in the top three out of more than two dozen.

They were the only continuation school that competed.

Those failing grades Devin had also improved.

"Now I got a 4.0, straight A's," Devin said. "If the teacher gives me an assignment, I try to do it like the first day."

Kilborn says Devin was given an opportunity to turn his high school career around, and he did.

"He rose to the occasion. He did the work. He put other things aside and focused on what he needed to focus on," Kilborn said.

Now that he's getting ready to graduate, Devin says he knows he has a purpose and that it's possible for him to succeed.

"It feels good. It feels like I think I was actually put on this world to actually do something, become something and it makes me feel even more like I'm getting close to that," Devin said.

Immediately after graduation, Devin plans to enter the workforce.

He wants to utilize the skills he already has and find a job in construction or wildland firefighting.

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