Hello my name is Maira Rachel Arellano Ramirez, and I plan to be a transmission technician for Peoria Ford, Arizona. Since I was younger I have always loved cars even if I didn't know anything about them. All I knew was that there was some wheels, an engine and the car just goes vroom! When I was a freshman in high school, my mom went to go get her tires balanced, at that time I had no clue what that was, but I was so fascinated. I told my mom there and then, that I wanted to work in the automotive industry. I didn’t know exactly what, but my heart told me this is for me. I love being hands on and getting dirty, so it was natural for to choose this career path. It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I applied to West- Mec's Northwest Campus, in Surprise Arizona, and got accepted. West- Mec is a 900 hour, ASE accredited program teaching my peers and I, car maintenance, and vehicle diagnosing. I have received 10 ASE’s, 3 SP2’s, and my EPA-609 certification. I am currently enrolled in the Ford Asset Program at Glendale Community College, earning an associates in applied science in automotive technology. To be part of the program you have to be sponsored by a Ford dealer to work in. About 6 months ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, Arizona, for 4 days. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. I was even able to use some of the skills I learned at West- Mec, like diagnosing a vehicle with a scan tool, using their own system they use and typing up stories of a vehicle. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman, Chris Proffit, came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me to let him know when that day comes when I get accepted, so that he can sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. I will start working there in the month of July in the main shop. I’m excited to see, learn and improve the skills I already have!When finishing the Ford Asset Program, I hope to be a transmission tech at Peoria Ford, with the same people who saw something in me. This made me realize that any woman can do a man’s job. Yes, we may have to work twice, three times as harder than them, but it’s possible. I hope that I and any other woman working the skills trades can open the door to little girls or any woman of any age to not be scared to chase theirs in the skill trades.

Since I was younger I have always loved cars even if I didn't know anything about them. All I knew was that there was some wheels, an engine and the car just goes vroom! It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I applied to West- Mec's Northwest Campus, in Surprise Arizona, and got accepted. West- Mec is a 900 hour, ASE accredited program teaching my peers and I, car maintenance, and vehicle diagnosing. I have received 10 ASE’s, 3 SP2’s, and my EPA-609 certification. I am currently enrolled in the Ford Asset Program at Glendale Community College, earning an associates in applied science in automotive technology. To be part of the program you have to be sponsored by a Ford dealer to work in. About 6 months ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, Arizona, for 4 days. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. I was even able to use some of the skills I learned at West- Mec, like diagnosing a vehicle with a scan tool, using their own system they use and typing up stories of a vehicle. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman, came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me to let him know when that day comes when I get accepted, so that he can sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. I will start working there in the month of July in the main shop. I’m excited to see, learn and improve the skills I already have!When finishing the Ford Asset Program, I hope to be a transmission tech at Peoria Ford, with the same people who saw something in me. This made me realize that any woman can do a man’s job. Yes, we may have to work twice, three times as harder than them, but it’s possible. I hope that I and any other woman working the skills trades can open the door to little girls or any woman of any age to not be scared to chase theirs in the skill trades. In my spare time I love to be with my family and help with volunteer work in my church. In my culture we have Quinceañera’s, and to have a ceremony they must have 20 hours of community service. I help and teach them what they would do during mass, making sure they are comfortable in what they are doing and asking me questions. I have also helped in church classes, being a teachers assistant for two years and later then offered a position to be a teachers myself. I had a group of junior high to seniors in high school and a group of second graders. I wish to continue to help my community and make an impact on these kids for the years to come.

Since I was younger I have always loved cars even if I didn't know anything about them. All I knew was that there was some wheels, an engine and the car just goes vroom! It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I applied to West- Mec's Northwest Campus, in Surprise Arizona, and got accepted. West- Mec is a 900 hour, ASE accredited program teaching my peers and I, car maintenance, and vehicle diagnosing. I have received 10 ASE’s, 3 SP2’s, and my EPA-609 certification. I am currently enrolled in the Ford Asset Program at Glendale Community College, earning an associates in applied science in automotive technology. To be part of the program you have to be sponsored by a Ford dealer to work in. About 6 months ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, Arizona, for 4 days. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. I was even able to use some of the skills I learned at West- Mec, like diagnosing a vehicle with a scan tool, using their own system they use and typing up stories of a vehicle. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman, Chris Proffit, came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me to let him know when that day comes when I get accepted, so that he can sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. I will start working there in the month of July in the main shop. I’m excited to see, learn and improve the skills I already have!When finishing the Ford Asset Program, I hope to be a transmission tech at Peoria Ford, with the same people who saw something in me. This made me realize that any woman can do a man’s job. Yes, we may have to work twice, three times as harder than them, but it’s possible. I hope that I and any other woman working the skills trades can open the door to little girls or any woman of any age to not be scared to chase theirs in the skill trades. Thank you for considering my application!

Since I was younger I have always loved cars even if I didn't know anything about them. All I knew was that there was some wheels, an engine and the car just goes vroom! It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I applied to West- Mec's Northwest Campus, in Surprise Arizona, and got accepted. West- Mec is a 900 hour, ASE accredited program teaching my peers and I, car maintenance, and vehicle diagnosing. I have received 10 ASE’s, 3 SP2’s, and my EPA-609 certification. I am currently enrolled in the Ford Asset Program at Glendale Community College, earning an associates in applied science in automotive technology. To be part of the program you have to be sponsored by a Ford dealer to work in. About 6 months ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, Arizona, for 4 days. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. I was even able to use some of the skills I learned at West- Mec, like diagnosing a vehicle with a scan tool, using their own system they use and typing up stories of a vehicle. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman, Chris Proffit, came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me to let him know when that day comes when I get accepted, so that he can sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. I will start working there in the month of July in the main shop. I’m excited to see, learn and improve the skills I already have!When finishing the Ford Asset Program, I hope to be a transmission tech at Peoria Ford, with the same people who saw something in me. This made me realize that any woman can do a man’s job. Yes, we may have to work twice, three times as harder than them, but it’s possible. I hope that I and any other woman working the skills trades can open the door to little girls or any woman of any age to not be scared to chase theirs in the skill trades. In my spare time I love to be with my family and help with volunteer work in my church. In my culture we have Quinceañera’s, and to have a ceremony they must have 20 hours of community service. I help and teach them what they would do during mass, making sure they are comfortable in what they are doing and asking me questions. I have also helped in church classes, being a teachers assistant for two years and later then offered a position to be a teachers myself. I had a group of junior high to seniors in high school and a group of second graders. I wish to continue to help my community and make an impact on these kids for the years to come

Since I was younger I have always loved cars even if I didn't know anything about them. All I knew was that there was some wheels, an engine, and that the car goes vroom! When I was a freshman in high school, my mom went to go get her tires balanced, at that time I had no clue what that was, but I was so fascinated. I told my mom there and then, that I wanted to work in the automotive industry. I didn’t know exactly what, but my heart told me this is for me. My sophomore year in high school I applied to West- Mec's Northwest Campus, in Surprise Arizona, and got accepted. West- Mec is a 900 hour, ASE accredited program teaching my peers and I, car maintenance, and vehicle diagnosing. I have received 10 ASE’s, 3 SP2’s, and my EPA- 609 certification. My West- Mec teacher has encouraged, guided, and pushed through my limits, throughout my time being his student. He has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, putting myself out there and show what I have to offer in the industry. These skills and certifications I gained at West-Mec allow me to use them and allow my potential employer see what I have to offer. I am currently enrolled in the Ford Asset Program at Glendale Community College earning an associates in applied science in automotive technology. In order to be part of the program you have to be sponsored by a dealer to work. Around 6 month’s ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, for 4 days. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me to let him know when that day comes when I get accepted, so that he can sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. When finishing the Ford Asset Program, I will come out already having job experience in a real world shop environment. Many certifications that show how knowledgeable and committed I am. Having the confidence in my abilities and the willingness to learn and improve on my technical skills.

Being a woman the automotive industry can be overwhelming and challenging. Sometimes we don't get valued for the skills that we have simply because we are females. Around 6 months ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, for 4 days, as a project for my school. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Ford Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me when the time comes he would like to sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. This made me realize that any woman can do a man’s job. Yes, we may have to work twice, three times as harder than them, but it’s possible. I hope that I and any other woman working the skills trades can open the door to little girls or any woman of any age to not be scared to chase theirs in the skill trades.

Since I was younger I have always loved cars even if I didn't know anything about them. All I knew was that there was some wheels, an engine and the car just goes vroom! It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I applied to West- Mec's Northwest Campus, in Surprise Arizona, and got accepted. West- Mec is a 900 hour, ASE accredited program teaching my peers and I, car maintenance, and vehicle diagnosing. I have received 10 ASE’s, 3 SP2’s, and my EPA-609 certification. I am currently enrolled in the Ford Asset Program at Glendale Community College, earning an associates in applied science in automotive technology. To be part of the program you have to be sponsored by a Ford dealer to work in. About 6 months ago I went job shadowing at Peoria Ford, Arizona, for 4 days. Each day I went I was greeted, talked to and respected by all the employees and treated like one of them. I was even able to use some of the skills I learned at West- Mec, like diagnosing a vehicle with a scan tool, using their own system they use and typing up stories of a vehicle. On my last day of job shadowing the shop foreman, Chris Proffit, came up to me and handed me his business card. He asked me if I would be doing the Asset program at GCC, which I replied with yes. He told me to let him know when that day comes when I get accepted, so that he can sponsor me. Everyone around me cheered for me knowing that I will be working with them soon. He said he didn't want to lose any good technicians. When I heard him say that my heart skipped a beat and felt like I was valued for who I was. In that moment I knew that all my hard work and confidence lead me to the right people. I will start working there in the month of July in the main shop. I’m excited to see, learn and improve the skills I already have!When finishing the Ford Asset Program, I hope to be a transmission tech at Peoria Ford, with the same people who saw something in me. I thank my West- Mec teacher for the encouragement, guidance, and pushing me through my limit’s, throughout my time being his student. He has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, putting myself out there and show what I have to offer. But the person I give the biggest thanks to would be my mom. My mom has been my number one supporter since day one, guiding me, comforting me, listening to me, and making my dreams come true. With all the love and support she has given me throughout the years, she has helped me fuel the fire in me to keep pursing my dream of being an automotive technician.