Spotlight on Automotive Technology: Future Gearheads in Training

Photo by Ken Perez

Most of us now drive, or will drive, a car or truck and it was wonderful to get a chance to speak with the people learning at Mt. Hood Community College who will be repairing and maintaining vehicles for us all in the future.

I stepped into the MHCC automotive programs workshop and was thrilled to see the students, busy working on big ol’ engines and stuff. And by stuff, I mean there were engine parts, wrenches, and computers all around to help students finish the engine builds that they had been working towards throughout the whole program.

Although it was clearly metal parts being bolted together, to me it looked like a group of wizards and witches performing magic with some greased-up hands. And they were not working on some magic brooms or flying cars: They were putting together engines for Subarus, Hondas, and Ford trucks.

I had never been prouder to have no idea what was going on, right here on the Mt. Hood campus.

The students were very friendly and greeted me warmly even though I was some random person there that day to photograph them and chat. None of them were shy about having their handiwork documented and shared.

I also got to see the students and instructors helping each other with their engines, whether figuring out how a certain part is supposed to fit or just simply helping with some heavy lifting. It is great to see that the students can quickly get help from the instructors or their classmates. Seeing the camaraderie in the shop felt special to witness.

Soon I was able to get some insight on the program and the types of people who join this program.

Steve Michener, an instructor for the automotive program, said the type of person who is interested in joining the program “is the type of person that has a passion for technical things. The type of person who sees something broken and wants to know how to fix it. The type of person who gets loads of satisfaction from seeing a car in bad condition and working on it until the vehicle can drive away running as it should.”

Alex Carroll, one of those students, let me know that he couldn’t be happier with what is provided to him as a student and how much help and knowledge students receive inside Building 18.

“I can look around my garage and know how to fix things innately without having to look it up,” he said. “I can do more with my time, now I am so much more capable and that is worth more than money.”

Carroll also wanted to give this specific piece of advice to anyone interested in learning how to repair cars: It is a rough-and-tumble industry, and you must be confident within yourself to let people know when too much is too much – you must trust yourself, because a lot of people in this industry will either be really nice or try to beat you down.

Learning that both the Mt. Hood students and teachers were very happy with the time they invest in the program let me know that these future wrenchers of the world were in good hands. Seeing the focus and passion in that room made for a great time, and I’m grateful they shared some of it with The Advocate.