Charter School Alum Spotlight: Devin Halliburton

TMA Graduate Balances Corporate Success with Entrepreneurial Passion

Devin Halliburton's days are a study in versatility. By day, he's an IT Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the world's leading professional services firms. By night and on weekends, he's a mobile DJ, running an entertainment company he founded nine years ago, back when he was still in high school.

For the Thurgood Marshall Academy Class of 2020 graduate, this dual career path is no accident. It's the result of lessons learned both inside and outside the classroom at his DC charter school.

Learning to Lead, Follow, and Support

During his time at TMA, Halliburton was deeply involved in activities in and outside the classroom, serving as a Law Mentee, participating in Student Government, and playing Varsity Basketball. These experiences taught him something that sets him apart in both corporate and entrepreneurial spaces.

"The skills I learned from DC charter school would most certainly be learning when to lead, learning when to follow, and something that is not talked about a lot is learning when to support," Halliburton explains. "Understanding that you may not be the main point or the face, but you are still needed to make very important contributions to whatever team, organization, or work team you are a part of."

It's a nuanced understanding of teamwork that serves him well whether he's consulting with clients at PwC or coordinating with vendors for his DJ business.

The Mentor Who Changed Everything

Halliburton points to one person as particularly transformative: his college counselor, Mr. Mitchell.

"Mr. Mitchell taught me not to settle for the expectation, but to over achieve in everything you do," he recalls. "Whether it was my academics in the classroom, applying for colleges and scholarships, or simply just performing well at my next basketball game. Mr. Mitchell taught me what it meant to strive for something greater than just what you may even believe in yourself."

The results speak for themselves. Halliburton raised his GPA from just over 3.0 to 3.8 by graduation. He went from hoping to get into "someone's university" to receiving over $500,000 in scholarship offers, including multiple full-ride scholarships to top universities across the country. He graduated from Bucknell University in 2024, with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Beyond the Classroom

For Halliburton, the most important lessons from TMA extended beyond test scores and college acceptances. His charter school experience taught him character, how to be not just successful, but outstanding.

"DC charter schools have created countless amazing individuals that have gone on to be successful lawyers with their own firm, doctors with their own practice, entrepreneurs with multiple businesses," he notes. "Most importantly, they are teaching these young kids the important things that are outside of the classroom. Teaching what it means to be a good person, what it means to care for a cause, what it means to be the one and not someone."

Now balancing a thriving career in IT consulting with his long-running entertainment business, Halliburton is proof that DC charter schools prepare students to excel on whatever path they choose.

A Message to City Leaders

When asked why city leaders should support DC charter schools, Halliburton's answer is clear: "They are the institutions that will teach the next generations how to be outstanding individuals in society. As stated previously, not only as leaders and followers, but as true supporters for what they believe in."

From Thurgood Marshall Academy to the boardrooms of PwC to stages across the DMV, Devin Halliburton is living proof of that mission.