Darrell
“Brent” Smith
Assistant
Professor
Manual Machining
School of Applied
Technology and Technical Specialties
What he teaches:
Intro to Machining
Basic Lathe
Advanced Lathe
Basic Mill
Advanced Mill
Intro to Grinding
Number of years teaching at SLCC:
21 years
Undergraduate:
Salt Lake
Community College
Journeyman machinist
and 30 years industry experience
Why working at SLCC matters:
I absolutely love
meeting and socializing with people. SLCC has such a diverse population, and I
enjoy meeting and learning about everyone’s different background and
experiences. I think this helps me identify better with students and motivates
me to become the best teacher and mentor that I can become.
Greatest professional challenge:
I teach a skilled
trade. It has always been a challenge getting more students into the trades. We
have just finished our third year having a booth at the Pathways to Professions
expo, which is a big step in getting the information on skilled trades out to
high school and junior high students.
Greatest professional accomplishment:
Converting the
Machining program into a Competency Based Education format (CBE). This
conversion has been in the works for a few years, and I am proud to finally be
finished with it. The CBE format will enable my students to graduate from my
program at a much quicker pace than before, which will help them get started
with their careers much sooner.
Advice for students or others:
Live, Laugh, Love.
This statement means a lot to me. It really simplifies everything in life. Live
your life to the fullest, including taking some risks. Always find a way to
laugh. Laughter truly is the best medicine. Love everyone for who they are and
not what you wish them to be.
Future plans:
My main focus for
the future is to continue to strengthen my machining program. I don’t ever want
to stop pursuing perfection.
Family:
I have been married
for 18 years now to a beautiful wife. We
have four children: Dacie (29), Nathan (27), Kyle (23) and Hudson (7) and our
dog “Flower.”
Hobbies:
My hobbies are dictated by my seven-year-old son,
who has created his own YouTube channel and now wants to start giving away
merchandise to all his subscribers. All my free time is helping my son.
