Provided by: Devin Marshall

Marshall stands in front of a firetruck at the Nabnasset Fire Station.

A fair amount of high school students go into college undecided, unsure of what to major in and where life will take them. While this is the path for some students, it is not the case for senior Devin Marshall, who committed to the University of New Haven in Connecticut for Paramedicine and Fire Sciences. 

Marshall’s plan is to major in paramedicine and minor in fire sciences, and has had the intentions of becoming a firefighter since the beginning of highschool. He began working with his friend’s dad who works at the Westford Fire Department, and he influenced Marshall into going down the paramedicine path. 

“I never really had a plan of what I wanted to do [in the future] going into high school,” Marshall said. “When I started to get more exposed to the Westford Fire Department through my friend’s dad around freshman year I started to get more and more interested.” 

Marshall knew all along that he wanted his career to include helping people, and becoming a firefighter appeared to be the perfect fit. The people Marshall volunteered with at the Fire Department had a positive impact on him and his ultimate decision to go into the field of paramedicine and become a firefighter. 

“Just being at the Fire Department and feeling the energy of the people who work there is really something you won’t find in many other places,” Marshall said. “You can just tell these people really enjoy what they are doing.” 

Marshall’s older brother graduated from WA in 2022 and committed to New Haven two years ago. Marshall did not initially intend on following in his brother’s footsteps, but, a firefighter he was volunteering with informed him that the paramedicine program at New Haven would set him up for success to become a firefighter himself. This sealed the deal for Marshall, and he was able to spend the majority of his application process time on New Haven. 

“[The application process] was relatively easy for me because I was able to focus most of my time and energy on this one college because I had a plan laid out in front of me,” Marshall said. “I ended up getting a great scholarship and I was able to commit very early on.”

At New Haven, Marshall is most looking forward to the experiences his major will allow him to be a part of. He will be granted the opportunities to work in hospitals nearby, and he even has the chance to study abroad.

“I will be able to work out of local hospitals and get real life experience of being in the back of an ambulance,” Marshall said. “I also get the opportunity to study abroad in Italy with the local emergency service departments. I’m very excited for all of the opportunities that are laid out in front of me right now.” 

Out of college, Marshall hopes to work in Boston as a firefighter where he would come across an abundance of difficult problems. While he is still young, he aims to work as a first responder in bigger and busier places, such as Boston.  

“When I’m older and need to slow down, maybe I’ll come back to Westford and work at the Fire Department I grew up with,” Marshall said.