Robert Hinshaw may be on his way to becoming an engineer but the Fairland High School senior who excels in the sciences is already disproving the misconception that today’s youth aren’t hard workers and that our public education system is failing.

Hinshaw serves as a shining example that public schools are what you make out of them and that tomorrow’s leaders can come from right here in southern Ohio.

Hinshaw is a finalist for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship and has made the cut from a pool of 16,000 semi-finalists.

The teenager is involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities including track, cross county, playing alto saxophone in the band, led the school’s pep band, and the Quiz Bowl team.

The youth serves as a role model for others who are looking at how they can achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams.

Hinshaw also dispels the myth that today’s youth either don’t care or are unable to meet the expectations of adulthood. He is proof that our youth can succeed and that the future is bright.

Far too often, people are quick to condemn today’s generation and point out all the reasons they won’t succeed.

Using a scientific method of his own, Robert Hinshaw is proving all those doubters wrong and standing up for an entire generation.