Five 2023 Wake County, NC, high school graduates will train to become skilled automotive technicians, thanks to scholarships from the Advance Auto Parts Foundation.
Wake Tech Community College has announced the recipients of the Advance Auto Parts Foundation Future Technicians Scholarships, which aim to increase diversity in the college's automotive degree programs and address the nationwide shortage of technicians. The students will enroll in either automotive systems technology or collision repair and refinishing, both offered at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence.
This year’s recipients are:
Myla Horton, Knightdale High School
- Nomination excerpt: "Myla excelled in her Career and Technical Education classes, and her performance was outstanding based on her grades, class participation and attendance."
Carson Allmon, East Wake High School
- Nomination excerpt: "Carson is a fine young man who has demonstrated a passion for the industry in his coursework (Foundations, Auto I and II) and during visits to the Hendrick Center at Wake Tech. He is polite, well-mannered, consistent and team-oriented and is a strong leader and an excellent role model."
Leonardo Cardoso, East Wake High School
- Nomination excerpt: "Leo has an excellent skill set (including being bilingual), a willingness to learn, has a strong character and leadership skills and has a strong commitment to automotive training and to school in general. Leo has shown commitment to the automotive pathway by successfully completing Foundations of Auto, Auto I, Auto II and Auto III."
Amy Coronilla Vazquez, Green Level High School
- Nomination excerpt: "Amy is an extremely deserving student. She works hard and constantly shies away from acknowledgement or recognition, and yet she deserves so much of it. While attending high school, she helps support her family by working on weekends. She dreams of being an automotive technician and has worked hard to make this dream a reality."
Daniel Fobert, South Garner High School
- Nomination excerpt: "Daniel is a great candidate for your scholarship because, growing up, he lived with his uncle, a mechanic, and fostered an early love for the profession. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, Daniel volunteered to work at his uncle's shop. As a result, Daniel has experience working on cars, ATVs and the like. This scholarship will have a profound impact on his future trajectory."
The five scholarship recipients were nominated by their high school guidance counselors and selected by Wake Tech earlier this year. They each receive a $5,000 unrestricted scholarship to offset educational and living expenses and a one-time stipend of $600 for tools to complete their studies.
"Automotive technicians are in high demand across the country, and we want to do our part to inspire students from all backgrounds to explore careers in the field," said Elisabeth Eisleben, president of the Advance Auto Parts Foundation. "As part of our gift to Wake Tech, we intentionally included student scholarships, knowing that, when we reduce the financial burden students face, they can focus on completing their studies and finding gainful employment in this important industry."
The Advance Auto Parts Foundation will support 25 Wake Tech automotive students over five years with the goal of increasing diversity among automotive technicians in the field. Advance Auto Parts Foundation's support for the programs totals $200,000, plus an additional $50,000 from Advance Auto Parts that outfitted DieHard tool rooms in the Hendrick Center.
"Support from the Advance Auto Parts Foundation enables us to directly address automotive technician workforce and diversity needs," said Dr. Scott Ralls, president of Wake Tech. "We're extremely grateful to the Advance Auto Parts Foundation for its partnership in awarding the scholarships and within the larger programs that our new Hendrick Center supports."
The $42 million, 100,000-square-foot Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence opened in 2021 on the Scott Northern Wake Campus. It has allowed Wake Tech to triple the number of students in automotive systems technology while adding a new program in collision repair and refinishing.
The Advance Auto Parts Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Advance Auto Parts Inc., a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers. Advance Auto Parts is the only Fortune 500 company headquartered in Raleigh, NC.
For more information about Advance Auto Parts Foundation's partnership with Wake Tech, visit the foundation's webpage.
Source: Wake Tech
