WHEELING, West Virginia —
Dallas resident Caitlin Shaw said she has loved being in a workshop
ever since she was a young girl helping her father repair things in
their garage.
Today, that love and dedication has taken Shaw from
her dad's workshop to a full-time job helping to repair airplanes at
Kerco Aviation Services at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport.
Shaw was hired after graduating from the career and technical program at John Marshall High School in May.
"I
always helped out my Dad with little things, so I thought it would be
cool to learn it at school," Shaw said. "The reason I took the class was
to learn it, but I actually ended up getting into it."
Shaw
spends her days between the airport's cabinet shop and working on the
planes. Her tasks include sanding, priming, cabinetry and autobody work,
but she said her favorite part of the job is painting.
"It's a
really big opportunity," Shaw said. "It hasn't been stressful at all,
just getting out of school and going to work. It was nice."
According
to JMHS collision repair teacher Joe Wendt, Shaw set herself apart in
his class by working hard and not being afraid to ask questions.
"She
had the interest and ability to perform the work and the duties," Wendt
said. "If she was given a task to do, she would go at it full-speed and
would ask for guidance. She's also got a pretty steady hand for
painting."
When school counselors brought paperwork for the
position at the airport, Wendt said Shaw was the only one to take
interest in position. Soon, Shaw was working part-time at the airport
for workstudy and managed to impress her supervisors with her "go get
'em" attitude.
Michael Atkinson, general manager of Kerco, said
Shaw was a welcome addition to his staff at a time when the airport
needed a few more hands.
"We were shorthanded and I had put ads
out on the Internet, but wasn't happy with the feedback," Atkinson said.
"We had a brainstorm and decided to talk to local vocation technical
schools. I called into John Marshall and they said, 'We have the perfect
candidate for you. She's the best we ever had in the program.'"
Going
on the school's recommendation, Atkinson said he gave Shaw a short tour
of the airport and offered her a part-time job while she finished her
last year in school and later offered her a full-time position.
"Six months later, we couldn't be happier," Atkinson said. "She has been hands-on and has been the perfect fit."
Information from: The Intelligencer, http://www.theintelligencer.net
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