HOC Shelton Humans of Chaffey: Professor Steve Shelton
Humans need food, water and shelter to survive, but none of that matters if we can not communicate with one another. Communication is key to humanities survival.
By Kevin Mendoza
There are hundreds of professors that attend Chaffey College. Each professor has their own unique story that brings them joy to the education lifestyle and provides knowledge to students that pass down from generation to generation However. there is one individual that teaches one of the most important life skills we humans use and require, communications.
Professor Stephen Shelton who prefers to go by Steve Shelton, is a prime example of an individual that excels in the education world. Shelton is a Professor of Communications and the Coordinator of Communication Studies for Chaffey College. Shelton has been at Chaffey College for over 8 years now and has always been a Professor in communication studies since Grad school. I asked Professor Shelton what he most enjoyed about teaching communication studies, he replied,
"This. Interacting with you, interacting with students, and communicating with individuals is what I love about being in this position. Being able to help direct students on a path to what they want to achieve in life and by using my experience and skills to help guide them on that path to becoming greater communicators and masters of their own career."
Shelton also exclaims how important he thinks communications is and how every student should be able to take a communication studies course to help give them the tools and experience to use in the real world. Shelton states,
"Learning communications is not only for education but also to improve the way they form relationships, their social life, mental balance and being a human."
Being the coordinator of communication studies, Shelton has the ability to evaluate all the communication course faculty and also hire new professors knowing with confidence that they love the field they work in and have a passion for communication.
"Being able to have the role of knowing who to bring to the campus reflects in the student's motivation to work and feeds into the student's enjoyment of communications."
Shelton loves being able to teach communication studies since he meets many different students and learns from each of them. Shelton also does not want to force students to communicate if they are not comfortable, but to help guide them on that path and provide resources to help build up their confidence and become a master of communication studies.
Shelton also explains that with the experience of going through Covid-19 over the last couple of years, it is important to understand what makes us human and how we move forward together.
"With only being able to teach online throughout quarantine, I want to remind students to stay human with one another and to interactive and take care of each other. It is always a good idea to have in-person conversations and remain vigilante through these tough times."
Shelton also mentioned that the thought of having a "Post-Pandemic Communication" course would benefit students in talking with others about their own experiences so they do not feel alone and have that burden with them.
"Everyone's experience during the pandemic was different and being able to help understand what students went through and reflect on themselves is a crucial part to becoming better at communications studies"
Striving away from his educational journey, one of Shelton's favorite hobbies is to do woodworking. Ever since he was a child, he loved building things and his garage is full of woodworking tools. In the summer of 2022, he built tables, chairs, frames and other furniture that he and his wife went to put around their home to create a more personal feel of their environment.
Shelton also loves to travel. With his family of 4, it makes it tough to travel to far locations, however, he tries to find time on weekends to visit the beach or the coast and just cruise around to decompress from work and live life to the fullest. He enjoys being able to relax from having to always work and to spend time with his family and create a healthy balance of life for himself.
Although Shelton is a communications professor he is also very much like us, human beings trying to become better and help one another. His enthusiasm for communication studies reflects through his courses and his humanity shines through while inspiring all his students to keep improving regardless of the career path they are on. Professor Steve Shelton is truly a master of the Communication Arts.