I am passionate about pursuing a career in the automotive industry for many reasons. One reason is that it allows me to pursue my ultimate passion in life; to be of service to other people. As a child, I would constantly watch my parents and other people I knew have transportation issues or need car repairs and not be able to afford them. I would always feel like something should be done to help people in times like this. I would also think about how helpless people must feel in that moment. At the same time, I would go with my dad to other people's houses while he would do some type of home repair for them for free. He was very clear with me that a man's first responsibility is to be of service to other people. These two circumstances eventually created an idea in my head that I chose to pursue by attending the University of Northwestern Ohio for Automotive and Light Duty Diesel; create a charitable foundation that provides free automotive repairs to those in need. My idea is simple, yet when I look online and especially in my community, I see a real need for it. I plan to finish earning my Associate's Degree, move back home, and start gaining dealership experience while starting my charitable work on the side. Once I have enough experience, I plan to open my own automotive shop and create a real charitable organization. I think the automotive industry provides technicians a unique opportunity to serve people who need it in ways they won't receive from anywhere else. That uniqueness and those opportunities to aid my fellow man is what makes me so passionate about my pursuit of a career in this industry. As for skills that I bring to the automotive industry, I would say my biggest skill is my ability to learn quickly and then pass that same information on to others. It usually only takes me one or two times of watching/listening how to complete a job, and I can understand and teach that information else immediately. Many of my automotive instructors have commented on this ability and I find myself in leadership roles quite often because of it. Speaking of leadership, I would say that the leadership qualities that I developed as part of the Future Business Leaders of America in high school are also of value to this industry. I was taught how to delegate takes when undertaking a large project, how emotional intelligence can unlock efficiency never seen before in business, and conflict resolution between coworkers, as well as many other techniques and abilities. I enjoy learning quickly and leading others to solutions. Another skill I believe I bring to the field is business management knowledge. I am A.S.K. Business Management certified as well as A.S.K Business Ethics certified. I spent all four years of high school learning about microeconomics, customer service, profit margins, Word/Excel use, and employee management to prepare myself to own my own automotive business and charitable organization in the future. Thank you for your consideration.

I am very passionate about pursuing knowledge in the automotive trade. I became inspired to pursue this trade increasingly over my childhood due to several circumstances and people. My first spark of interest in automotive was, at a young age, watching my family as well as those around me have constant vehicle problems and not enough money to fix them. Whenever these situations would happen, I would stew about how bad I wished I could help those who were having expensive problems, and how helpless they must have felt. I knew from a young age that I was going to find a way to help people that needed it. My biggest inspiration comes from my father. My whole life I have watched him use his spare time to help people in need for free. I spent my childhood going with him to church member's, friend's, family's, and stranger's houses to fix gas lines, plumbing problems, or build furniture. Every time someone mentioned a problem that he could fix, my father was right there helping people. He taught me the value of being a "jack of all trades" and that a man's first responsibility is to be of service to those around him. My next inspirational figure was my high school Automotive Technologies teacher, Mr. Morrison. He is the one that convinced me that the automotive industry was the industry for me, and that I needed to pursue it at trade school. Mr. Morrison was a man in his late 60s, but he could work circles around all of the kids in his class. He taught me how to build an engine, how wire up a radio, and most importantly how to invest in myself. He always told me that " A good mind and good tools will get you anywhere in life." and I still believe in that statement. While attending high school, I once again noticed that many people from my hometown struggle with transportation. Many times while I was working at Rick's Auto Repair after school I would have interactions with customers that told me they could not afford a crucial repair or the labor cost of the shop. My mentor and the owner of the shop, Rick Arnold, would often give parts, labor, or towing trips away for free to those who were less fortunate. Watching someone actively lose money everyday with a smile on their face just because they had the opportunity to improve someone's day really showed me the kind of person I wanted to be in life and the industry that people could really use some help in. This gave birth to my dream to create a successful automotive repair business and through those profits, create a foundation that gives free repairs to those who cannot afford them while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. I am currently pursuing my dream by attending the University of Northwestern Ohio. I wake up every morning knowing that by doing so I am going to gain the knowledge that will help me reach my lifelong goal of creating my charitable foundation. After I earn my Associate's degree, I plan to return home and gain dealership experience for quite some time, while providing my free services on the side and building the foundation from the ground up.