“‘This program gave me opportunities I didn’t know were possible,’ said Pitre, who is from Carrollton, a rural community about an hour southeast of Akron.”
COLUMBUS – An article from Signal Akron highlights Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) efforts to secure $875,000 for Stark State College’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Instruction Center to support the construction of classrooms, offices, a computer lab and workspace for students.
Husted visited Stark State last month to see the CDL facility and meet with students.
Key excerpts from the article include:
“Chase Pitre wanted a better way to support his family. He’s a husband-to-be and the father of a 2-year old. So he signed up for Stark State College’s commercial driver’s license program.”
. . .
“Upon completing the five-week course, Pitre was hired at Marathon, where, for the past two and a half months, he’s transported crude oil across Ohio and into West Virginia. He said he more than doubled his previous salary working in emergency medical services.”
. . .
“‘This program gave me opportunities I didn’t know were possible,’ said Pitre, who is from Carrollton, a rural community about an hour southeast of Akron.”
. . .
“The new-look facility was supported by a $875,000 grant secured earlier this year.”
. . .
“Pitre spent last Thursday at his old mobile classroom, discussing opportunities the program gave him. He also thanked Sen. Jon Husted — he visited an ongoing class to speak with students about the importance of trucking jobs — for helping secure the grant for the new building.”
. . .
“During Husted’s visit, Stark State President Para Jones thanked him and the GAR Foundation for contributing to the new facility, which breaks ground next month.”
. . .
“Husted also advocated for the use of federal Pell grants to help lower-income students access workforce education.”