My name is Derek VanNamee and my goal is to attend WyoTech trade school focused on Diesel Mechanics and Advanced Diesel in the fall of 2025. I am from a small town in rural Wells River, Vermont in the Northeastern part of the state and have attended the same school K-12 since age 3. I have lived in Vermont my entire life and I’m looking forward to exploring other opportunities. My passion is Auto Mechanics with a concentrated interest in diesel mechanics. I enjoy Semi-Trucks, tractor (old and new), heavy equipment, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, truly anything with a motor. Since I was 14, I have worked on several local farms doing everything from milking cows, gathering hay for storage, cleaning down the parlor to now I am running large tractors, skid steers, loaders and driving 10 wheeled dump trucks. I love diesel engine power performance and torque, but I also love gas powered power sports engines and large V8 engines that produce good HP. My family is my life, my mom and dad have always supported me and allowed me to participate in work opportunities as my interest was more focused on engines and equipment rather than sports. I enjoy hunting , fishing and snowmobiling. I’m in my senior year of high school and I attend Riverbend career and technical center training in the mornings and have a co-oped work study job in the afternoons. We do various studies and projects at the tech center including welding, heavy equipment use, using simulators and completing diagnostics and repairing trucks and equipment. We also did a range of projects including putting in culverts, ditching and grading roads and using numerous types of power tools and machines. I was the lead student on a Bulldozer project involving removing the undercarriage, tracks and old worn-out rollers, then replacing the rollers with new ones, and then greasing and reassembling the tracks and undercarriage. I enjoy working on my own truck along with hanging out with friends and working on there trucks and cars on the weekends. I’m determined, hardworking and enjoy helping others in need when I can. I hope to complete WyoTechs diesel program and obtain my certification in diesel mechanics with advanced certification. When I have completed that study I plan on seeking and obtaining my Class A CDL and combine both studies to begin my career. My goal is to be proficient and perform work as a diesel mechanic on engines in all areas of Heavy equipment, Agriculture, on/off road and performance and diagnostics. I hope to be a mechanic-operator with a mobile operation and or shop of my own and trucking when needed. I feel that having the knowledge, skills and resources to be a mobile operation can be helpful and convenient for those that have issues either on the job site or have a truck or piece of equipment that is not able to be towed or driven on the road. Please know that I am truly grateful for folks and foundations such as yours that afford students like me the opportunity for funding towards furthering my education and dreams as I pursue a career choice in a trade that I truly love and have a passion for. Thank you again, Derek VanNamee