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Meet Our Faculty: Darrell Smith

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.


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