Derek recently earned his master’s degree from Florida State University, where he studied with David Okerlund. There, he performed roles such as Bartolo in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Basilio in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Jezevec and Farář in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen. He also served as a graduate teaching assistant. In 2022, he won the first place prize in the National Association for Teachers of Singing Competition's Upper Classical TBB division.