A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Spenser Shaffer

A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Spenser Shaffer

It has been eleven years since Spenser Shaffer first joined the Scouts. He has grown through the ranks, developed invaluable traits, and is ready to tackle the next stage of his life. Spenser will always be a student but now he is a teacher as well.

Spenser and his two sisters were born to a family of steelworkers. Growing up in La Porte, a town of material industry, gave him a front row view of the challenges factories and mills face. He could not have known the impact it would have on his life.

His story begins with cub scouts. Spenser joined in the first grade, later became a part of troupe 321, and had been steadily climbing the Boy Scouts ladder ever since. It became a personal competition. Spenser’s father and grandfather were both in Scouts and were his motivation for seeing what more he could achieve.

Spenser reached two goals thanks to their inspiration: he was awarded Eagle Scout and was voted into the Red Arrow Order by his peers.

The Red Arrow Order is a society that honors Scouts who most exemplify the Oath and Law.

“It’s all based on community service,” explained Spenser. “You go out and clean up. You tend to be respected more because of the dedication you need in order to achieve it.”

Achieving Eagle Scout is the last rank of Boy Scouts. A Scout must devise a project that shows his leadership ability and complete said project in order to be awarded the rank. The troupe, Scout council, and district approve the project before they go through with it.

“If no one had leadership we would all become lemmings and follow the one person that does have it,” said Spenser. It is a good thing then that Boy Scouts of America teaches the community’s youth leadership. They also taught him: “How to talk to people and deal with them.”

Spenser’s project was about teaching a class to build and use a 3D printer. He volunteers his time at the library to continue their 3D printer program. How does that show leadership?

“I have to make a curriculum. I can’t physically sit there and build it. I have to show them how.”

Spenser also volunteers at the YMCA, teaching children how to swim. He is on the swim team at La Porte High School and practices with MAKO at Valparaiso University so he is quite knowledgeable of the sport. While he would like to go to nationals, his life goals have much more to do with his 3D printing expertise.

Spenser would like to earn a degree in material engineering, a combination of geo engineering and science.

“It kinda started with cars,” he says of his fascination with creating materials. “Companies are switching to aluminum and its weak. I was raised with families in the steel mills and I think I can make it stronger.”

Between his experiments with the library’s 3D printer and some classes he took through school, Spenser has already gotten a glimpse of what it would be like to work in the field of materials. That is what Spenser loves about his town.

“You get opportunities like Project Lead the Way.” The program is designed to get kids interested in engineering. For Spenser, it was a connection he had been waiting his whole life to make.