DSLCC Grad Now Working for College’s Workforce Solutions Division
David Shofstahl’s dream of laying bricks and working construction while at the same time helping to develop similar skills in other people has come full circle.
The 40-year-old mason has become one of the newest employees at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge: he’s the Business Development Coordinator in the College’s division of Workforce Solutions and Community Education. In this brand new position, Shofstahl will be working with local business and industry, conducting needs assessments and developing customized training, among other projects.
“I’m thrilled to be doing this,” says Shofstahl. “I want to do whatever I can to help our students and area employers be successful.”
Shofstahl’s career in education, like many non-traditional students, didn’t start out in a typical fashion. “I didn’t finish high school,” says the married father of five. “I started a masonry apprenticeship at age 16, got my GED at age 18. I started my own construction company in Ohio at age 19.” In 2000 he moved to Virginia and operated his own masonry company for five years until he became project manager for Allman Stone Masonry, headquartered in Roanoke, a position he still holds.
After relocating to Clifton Forge in 2005, he says he drove by the DSLCC entrance signs on his way to work at the Greenbrier Resort in nearby White Sulphur Springs, WV, not thinking he’d ever go back to school. But in 2011 a back injury that effectively sidelined his work in the field prompted him to enroll in classes that eventually would lead to his becoming a civil engineer.
By May of 2014, he had earned three associate degrees in Science, Business Administration and Education from DSLCC. An active presence on campus that included membership in DSLCC’s Alpha Eta Omicron chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, he was honored as the recipient of the Gary Lee Miller Outstanding Student Award.
Last year, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Construction Management and a minor in Training and Development from Old Dominion University. By the end of this year, he’ll have earned a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Leadership through Louisiana State University.
Shofstahl’s commitment to the betterment of the next generation of students is very evident as he has also served as an instructor, teaching a “Do It Yourself” masonry class through DSLCC’s non-credit program. He often conducts a continuing education presentation for architects and engineers for a professional development organization, while also finding time to tutor current DSLCC students.
Shofstahl feels that his success started at DSLCC, and he is excited to be able to bring that hope to future DSLCC students. “I will have completed my education journey through Dabney S. Lancaster Community College,” says Shofstahl. “None of it would have been possible without the support of this college.”