COLUMBUS GROVE — Chris Shafer, 18, has kept himself busy during high school.
He hopes to turn his experience into a job in the engineering field.
Shafer entered Apollo his sophomore year in a career exploration problem. He chose manufacturing engineering as his vocational choice, and now plans to attend Rhodes State College to major in automated manufacturing. His academic excellence in his studies resulted in him being named president of Skills USA in Northwest Ohio. The organization is a partnership of students, teachers and industry in developing a skilled workforce.
“I met many people in the industry,” Shafer said of his experience. His term as president of the organization expired in April.
Shafer recalled meeting with U.S. Rep. Rob Portman to discuss vocational training while serving with Skills USA.
“He is really big into career technical education,” Shafer said. “It is great to see that vocational education is being supported.”
Shafer’s excellence in his studies has earned him a 3.8 GPA. As president of Skills USA, he has also met with CEOs of major corporations such as Snap-On and Caterpillar. He traveled twice to Washington, D.C., to speak with congressmen on career technical education. He also served as a judge during the Ohio State Fair in the engineering section of the middle school competition.
Shafer has also stayed busy outside the classroom.
He is a four-year track letterman at Columbus Grove, hitting 13 foot in the pole vault. He has garnered the lead part twice in the school musical. He is also active with Big Brothers Big Sisters and is active in the youth ministry at Bluffton Baptist Church. He is also employed at McDonald’s in Ottawa.
In his spare time, Shafer enjoys hunting and fishing, and riding dirt bikes and four-wheelers. He is the son of Chad and Dawn Shafer.
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