| Off-road racing in a special wheelchair,
whitewater rafting, baseball and volleyball are just a few of MHCC student
Stephen Sharr’s pastimes.
Much like his approach to sports, Sharr is facing his life as a student
with gusto. Embarking on his second year in the Architectural Engineering
program at MHCC next fall, Sharr is already designing homes for his
brother’s construction company.
Sharr spent 30 years custom building homes around Oregon and the United
States. Three years ago he fell off a roof and broke his back, and from
then on would have to be in a wheelchair. Needing to find a new line
of work, Sharr looked around for a college program that would make the
most of his extensive construction knowledge.
“I checked the programs at other community colleges and MHCC’s
was the right choice,” Sharr said. “The program teaches
more than just AutoCAD and drafting, it covers the technical information
like structures, engineering, surveying and how to put it all together
to create a well-designed home.”
Sharr has come a long way during his first year at MHCC. He started
out knowing nothing about computers, and after a few basic computer
classes, he was ready to enter the program. When Sharr turned in his
first set of plans drawn on AutoCAD, his instructor was so impressed
with the completeness and accuracy of his drawings, his instructor told
him he’d demonstrated mastery of everything necessary to pass.
But Sharr wasn’t content to take his “A” and not attend
class; he came in regularly to assist other students with their AutoCAD
work.
As an older student, Sharr felt a “little nervous” coming
to college, but met many other students in his age bracket and soon
had a group of friends of all ages. He is especially pleased with the
quality and helpfulness of the instructors.
“The instructors are very understanding of my needs, and when
things get tough, I can give them a call. They are always open to working
with me. They’ve really taught me a lot,” Sharr said.
There are some accessibility situations on campus that Sharr would
like to see improved, such as better access to restroom facilities,
but he’s not deterred.
Now, when designing a home, Sharr considers accessibility requirements,
something he’d never thought of while working as a builder.
Sharr has plans to continue designing homes for his builder/developer
brother, Rick Sharr, and will work for him full-time after graduation.
For now, Sharr is taking a break before school starts in the fall.
He is planning to take family members on a trip to Alaska aboard his
65-foot yacht. |
