While I have always had a love for cars, my passion for the field of automotive technology was ignited my junior year of high school. That year I enrolled in the Career Technical Educational (CTEC) and joined the automotive program to meet elective requirements. On the floor of CTEC, I knew that my strengths as a hands-on learner-including patient and attention to detail, above-average spatial and logical thinking, and a strong work ethic-were going to shine. For the past two years, I have loved learning about automotive diagnostics, repairs, and routine maintenance. My favorite lesson was disassembling and assembling an engine and learning the science behind out an engine puts the wheels in motion, powertrain. The automotive field of study will also allow me to enjoy another interest which is technology. The latest software and AI in the auto industry is cutting edge technology. How awesome will it be to have a career in a field that you love! My career hopes are to become a master automotive technician for a major automotive manufacturer, dealership, or perhaps working with high-performance cars for NASCAR. I live in Alabama which is one of the top states in the automotive industry housing car plants like Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda Toyota, and Hyundai. The demand for skilled technicians is high and continues to grow employing around 88,000 in Alabama. Automotive Mechanics is a field of study that I am passionate about but it is also a career path that is smart, stable, and somewhat versatile. Anxious and excited, I have been accepted into the automotive program at Shelton State Community College. Starting this August, I will work toward earning an Associate's Degree in Automotive Technology. While attending college, I plan to work part-time in an auto shop in order to gain extra knowledge, training, and experience that a classroom alone cannot provide. Every opportunity I get, whether it is shadowing a seasoned mechanic or diagnosing a vehicle on my own, I will take it. I am striving to become the best in my field and will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Earning a two-year Associate's Degree will allow me to enter the workforce sooner and begin making money and building a reputable reputation as a skilled and reliable technician. The sky is the limit for me in this field of study, and this scholarship will bring me one step closer to reaching my goal.

My career hopes are to become a master automotive technician working for a major car manufacturer or perhaps working with high-performance cars for NASCAR. I live in Alabama which is one of the top states in the automotive industry housing car plants like Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda Toyota, and Hyundai. The demand for skilled technicians is high and continues to grow employing around 88,000 in Alabama. Automotive Mechanics is a field of study that I am passionate about but it is also a career path that is smart, stable, and somewhat versatile. While I have always had a love for cars, my passion for the field of automotive technology was ignited my junior year of high school. That year I enrolled in the Career Technical Educational Center (CTEC) and joined the automotive program to meet my elective requirements. On the floor of CTEC, I knew that my strengths as a hands-on learner-including attention to detail, above average spatial and logical thinking, and a strong work ethic-were going to shine. For the past two years, I have loved learning about vehicle diagnostics, repairs, and routine maintenance. The most favorite lesson was disassembling and assembling an engine and learning how the engine makes the wheels turn, powertrain. The automotive field of study will also let me enjoy another interest which is technology. The latest software and AI in the auto industry is cutting edge technology. How awesome will it be to have a career in a field that you truly enjoy! Anxious and excited, I have been accepted into the automotive program at Shelton State Community College. Starting this August, I will work toward earning an Associate's Degree in Automotive Technology. While attending college, I plan to work part-time in an auto shop in order to gain extra knowledge, training, and experience that a classroom alone cannot provide. Every opportunity I get, whether it is shadowing a seasoned mechanic or diagnosing a vehicle on my own, I will take it. I am striving to become the best in my field and will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Earning a two-year Associate's Degree will allow me to enter the workforce sooner and begin not only making money but building a reputable reputation as a skilled and reliable technician. The sky is the limit for me in this field of study, and this scholarship will bring me one step closer to reaching it.

While I have always had a love for cars and tools, my interest in the field of automotive mechanics was ignited my junior year of high school. That year I joined the Career Technical Educational Center (CTEC) and enrolled in Automotive Technology for my elective route. I also joined SkillsUSA. On the floor of CTEC, I knew that my strengths as a hands-on learner-including attention to detail, above-average spatial and logical thinking, and a strong work ethic-were going to shine. For the past two years, I have loved learning about vehicle diagnostics, practical repairs, and routine maintenance. Our instructor taught me also about the importance of shop safety. One of the most engaging things I did was disassemble and reassemble a car engine. It is so interesting to learn the logistics of how the engine makes the car wheels turn (powertrain) and help put that in motion. Anxious and excited to learn as much as possible, I have been accepted into the Automotive Program at Shelton State Community College, where I plan to start this August. My goal is to earn an Associate's Degree while also working part-time in an auto shop in order to gain additional knowledge and experience. I want to be the best at my craft, and I am willing to do whatever it takes. My career goal is to be a master technician working for a major car manufacturer or perhaps even working with high-performance cars for NASCAR. Alabama's automotive industry makes this career path especially promising. With manufacturers like Mercedes Benz, Honda, Hyundai, and Mazda Toyota having operating plants here, Alabama is one of the top automotive states in the country. The demand for skilled technicians is high and continues to grow which makes automotive mechanics a smart and stable career path-not just a passion. I think the sky is the limit in this field of study. Financially this scholarship will help the burden of potential future debt. Along with the cost of tuition, my college advisor has strongly encouraged all participants to purchase their own set of tools. I will also have the cost of gas due to commuting an hour each way to college. Any financial help would be greatly appreciated so that I can focus on my studies rather than how I am going to pay for everything. Thank you for your consideration. I can assure you that this is an investment in someone who is dedicated to making a career out of automotive mechanics.

While I have always loved cars and working with my hands, my passion for automotive technology was ignited my junior year of high school when I enrolled in automotive technology as my elective. I joined SkillsUSA and enrolled in the Career Technical Education Center, CTEC. For the past two years the automotive technology program at CTEC has taught me the basics of vehicle diagnostics, routine maintenance, repairs and the importance of attention to detail. Anxious and excited to learn as much as possible, I have been accepted at Shelton State Community College where I plan to attend this fall. My goal is to earn an Associate's Degree in the Automotive Field while also working in an automotive shop to gain that extra experience and knowledge. My career goal is to become a Master Technician working for Honda, Ford, Mercedes, or maybe even with high performance engines for NASCAR. This scholarship would make a meaningful difference in my college experience. Along with the cost of tuition, my college advisor has said that we will need our own set of tools. I am also commuting about about an hour one way each day. Receiving this award would allow me to focus on my studies without the financial stress of taking on debt. This would be an investment in someone who is genuinely passionate about this craft and determined to make a career out of it.