{"id":98795,"date":"2026-04-30T04:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T08:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=98795"},"modified":"2026-05-01T08:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T12:33:09","slug":"engineering-senior-turns-high-school-drafting-class-into-full-time-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/04_30_2026\/engineering-senior-turns-high-school-drafting-class-into-full-time-career","title":{"rendered":"Engineering Senior Turns High School Drafting Class Into Full-Time Career"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Caleb Sutherin first stepped into a high school drafting class, he had no idea it would shape his future.<\/p>\n

At the time, he was considering a very different path.<\/p>\n

\"Graduation

CELEBRATING SUCCESS:<\/strong> UToledo recognizes the Class of 2026 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was thinking zoology at first,\u201d Sutherin said. \u201cThen I took drafting and realized I actually really liked it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That moment of discovery set him on the path to civil engineering<\/a> \u2014 and ultimately to The University of Toledo \u2014 where he found both his career direction and a strong sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

A native of Coldwater, Ohio, Sutherin was looking for a Division I experience that still felt manageable. After visiting several campuses, he found UToledo offered the right balance of size and community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the smallest-town feel I got at a Division I school,\u201d he said. \u201cIt felt like home.\u201d<\/p>\n

That feeling was reinforced during a second visit focused on the College of Engineering<\/a>, where he could better picture himself as a student.<\/p>\n

Sutherin quickly immersed himself in hands-on learning, completing three co-op rotations with Choice One Engineering in Sidney, Ohio, beginning as early as the summer after his freshman year. By his third rotation, he was taking on projects independently, including designing a waterline project from start to finish.<\/p>\n

The experience gave him early confidence and helped bridge the gap between coursework and real-world application. Concepts introduced later in the classroom already felt familiar, reinforcing that he was on the right path.<\/p>\n

While academics and co-ops shaped his professional growth, Sutherin said the relationships he built were just as meaningful. He found a strong sense of community through friends, daily workouts at the Student Recreation Center and football games.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait

After completing three successful co-op rotations, civil engineering senior Caleb Sutherin graduates Saturday and immediately begins his career with Choice One Engineering.<\/p><\/div>\n

A competitive bowler in high school, Sutherin joined the University\u2019s bowling club during his freshman year, where practices often ran late into the night and competitions took him out of state. The experience was demanding but memorable, offering another way to connect with fellow students before he shifted his focus to academics and work.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Sutherin said he knows those connections will continue to matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn civil engineering, you\u2019re not going to know everything,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving people you can reach out to \u2014 that\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sutherin will graduate this spring and begin his full-time role with Choice One Engineering just days later. Having already built relationships within the company, including attending a company-sponsored trip, the transition feels seamless.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are my people,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he reflects on his time at UToledo, Sutherin points to both personal growth and the experiences that defined his college years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the prime years,\u201d he said. \u201cGoing to games, hanging out with friends \u2014 I\u2019ll remember that forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sutherin said he leaves with confidence in his path and the foundation to build what comes next: \u201cEverything just kind of reassured me that I\u2019m meant to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After completing three successful co-op rotations, civil engineering senior Caleb Sutherin graduates Saturday and immediately begins his career with Choice One Engineering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":934,"featured_media":98798,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,34,69,1,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98795"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/934"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98795"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98801,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98795\/revisions\/98801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}