Devan is from Leesburg, Virginia and graduated from UVA with an MA from the Religion, Politics, and Conflict MA program. She also holds a B.A. in Religious Studies and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. Her graduate studies focused on Judaism in America, with a particular interest in the role of antisemitism in American society. Her capstone research was on hate movements, specifically the mainstreaming of antisemitism in the Alternative Right movement.