Twins say figure out what you want to do
For those about to start back to high school, two Butler High School Class of 2012 alumni offer some advice: Start figuring out what it is you want to spend your life doing.
Identical twin brothers Steven and Josh Stauffer are all grown up these days. Three weeks ago Steven started his first real job in architecture, after earning his master's degree earlier this year. Josh is already at work in North Carolina as a United States probation officer.
The brothers got started on their career tracks while enrolled in class in Butler.
Steven recalls first penning designs in a high school class taught by Eric Beveridge, who teaches drafting.
“If I hadn't tried art and design in school, I never would have known that it's what I want to do,” Steven said.
Through a dual program in his high school design class, Steven spent some time at Butler County Community College learning more about design. There he designed and built his early-career design keepsakes: two electric guitars. They now hang on the wall in his parents' house in Connoquenessing Borough.
Steven went on to study architecture at Kent State University before earning his master's degree from Virginia Tech. Along the way he worked internships at architecture firms in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Charlotte, N.C.
He recently started as a project designer with IKM Inc. in Pittsburgh. He'll be working predominantly on designs involving medical and education buildings.Today, Steven uses a piece of software called Revit professionally. He first started learning to use it at Butler High School.Josh's path to becoming a probation officer had similar beginnings. He prepared a report on a career as a state trooper for a class project in sixth grade. In high school, he took and enjoyed a sociology class.“We had a whole chapter in our textbook on criminology,” Josh said. “That whole section came naturally to me. I did well at it.”
Well enough, it turns out, that he pursued criminal justice as a career. Josh went to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for both his undergraduate and master's degrees. He then started working as a probation officer in Greensboro, N.C.Today, Josh investigates people who are awaiting sentencing for federal crimes.Judges use his findings to help determine the circumstances of a case and decide on the severity of sentences they hand down.The twins hope students at their alma mater also find their callings. They urge students to branch out and try new things while they search for careers that fit their skills and passion.“Try as many things as possible,” Steven said. “If I hadn't, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.”
