Graduate Profile: Don Hoffman
Don Hoffman may have graduated from Alma with a major in biology, but it was Alma’s liberal arts education that steered him toward his true goal — computer engineering.
Now a systems engineer for Dell, Hoffman was taking math and physics his senior year at Alma when he realized he wanted to do something a little different.
“Alma’s liberal arts education gave me an opportunity to explore and was great for my professional development,” the 1997 graduate says.
“Alma’s liberal arts education gave me an opportunity to explore and was great for my professional development.”
Working a full-time graveyard position at GM and schooling part-time at Michigan State University, Hoffman finished his second bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in 2000. The DeWitt native was offered a position with Dell in Austin, Tex. during an interview on campus.
“In terms of my career, I got as much from Alma as I did from MSU,” he says. “Besides the technical skills of my job, I have to interact with people and use critical thinking. When I was at Alma I learned those skills well. I was forced to find answers for myself, which made me independent, self-sufficient and confident.”
Hoffman was drawn to Alma by the student-to-faculty ratio and the opportunity to get involved on campus. While at Alma, he was a DJ for campus radio station WQAC, a member of Glee Club and a teaching assistant for chemistry.
“Alma was a very positive experience,” he says. “I really grew as a person and learned how to learn — I wouldn’t have gotten that in any other environment.”
