It is too often that students graduate from high school without a clear idea of what they want to study in college or what career path to choose. “I didn’t want that to happen to me,” said Chris Zwoboda, a 2015 graduate of Cairo-Durham High School and Questar III’s HVAC & Renewable Energies program. When he learned about Questar III, it seemed as though he found a solution.
Zwoboda, pictured here as a senior in 2015, is a recipient of the STEM Incentive scholarship. He has big plans to expand his technical and managerial knowledge as he moves forward in college and career.
Zwoboda shared that his father has always been a “hands-on” person and that he believes having a hands-on background is important. For these reasons, Zwoboda gravitated toward Questar III’s Career and Technical Education programs, specifically Construction Technologies or HVAC & Renewable Energies. What ultimately drove Zwoboda to the HVAC program was the teacher, Mike Veeder. “Mr. Veeder was very personable and I knew I would be able to get along with him easily,” said Zwoboda.
In fact, Zwoboda stated that one of the most valuable things about the HVAC program was his teacher. “I was able to learn a lot from Mr. Veeder because he has his own business, which allowed him to tell us what happens in real situations and how he dealt with them,” said Zwoboda.
The best thing about Questar III’s HVAC program, according to Zwoboda, is that he was able to engage in many hands-on projects, something that will give him an advantage in college and in his career. He admitted that he was surprised at the opportunity to go to real job sites as a high school student. One such site was the Town of Coxsackie Ambulance, where the students participated in the installation of a heating system. “I had so much fun getting real experience and learning a lot throughout the process,” said Zwoboda.
This fall, Zwoboda began his higher education journey at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in Troy, NY. After the completion of the Heating/Air Conditioning/Refrigeration Technical Services program at HVCC, Zwoboda will be awarded with an Associate’s of Occupational Studies degree.
Then he plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree at SUNY Oswego, where his tuition will be fully covered thanks to the STEM Incentive Scholarship he recently received. SUNY Oswego has a Technology Management undergraduate degree program, and Zwoboda is interested in following up his Questar III and HVCC educations with one that focuses on the management aspects of the field.
According to the program’s website, there is a growing demand for employees who are not only skilled in technical aspects but also managerial capabilities. Zwoboda is optimistic about the future of the HVAC industry. He is hoping to get a management job in the field and perhaps even have his own business someday.
Veeder is confident about Zwoboda’s success moving forward. “He is a very bright problem solver, which is key in this industry,” said Veeder. “Chris would think outside the box to come up with solutions to difficult problems. These solutions are not found in the textbooks and require an exceptional talent, which Chris has.”
