Sinclair360

“I’d always seen not having a degree as kind of a badge,” Caudill said. “I was proud of myself for being successful without having been to college.” Reality quickly set in for Caudill, though, and he knew he had to either get a degree or find a job in a new field.

Caudill directed his efforts into opening a computer lab in Dayton for newly or chronically unemployed people. Located at Vineyard Church in Dayton, Caudill’s computer lab assists anywhere from 20 to 100 people in a week.

“The first day we opened, a woman came in with a business card. She said, ‘This person said if I e-mail my résumé to him, I have a job. What’s a résumé and how do I e-mail it?’ We worked with her to create a résumé and got it sent off. She has a job now,” Caudill said. “That’s what I enjoy: helping other people help themselves.”

For Caudill, his journey to Sinclair started when a woman gave him knowledge to help himself, too.

“I met a woman who works at Sinclair, and she was the one who told me about the scholarships,” Caudill said. “I applied, and I was really surprised to get it. I never thought I would go to school. I’m not really a typical college student. I have a half-sleeve tattoo and an earring; that’s not what most people think of in a college student! That scholarship became my hope of a new future.”

“All of my professors have been outstanding,” Caudill said. “They entertain my questions, and I really like that they give me practical applications for the skills we’re learning in class. Since I was part of the workforce, I want to know things that have practical application. It meant a lot when my algebra teacher gave me examples of how to use polynomials in real-life situations.”

“The professors I’ve had definitely have a true desire to teach their students, not just hand out tests and assign grades,” Caudill said. “They’ve all gone out of their way to make my experience as a Sinclair student very positive.”

“My scholarship is a portal to a new world, as far as I’m concerned,” said Caudill. “I’ve always wanted to learn about environmental engineering, and I hope to go to Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad and Sudan to provide water to villages without a clean, safe water source.”

For more information about Caudill’s computer lab or his environmental engineering projects, call 937-427-1912, extension 223.

By Meghann Heft

Meghann Heft recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Dayton. She can be reached at meghann.heft@gmail.com.