Automotive students from Emmett O’Brien High School were awarded over $30,000 in scholarships from Universal Technical Institute for earning second place in two automotive technology skills competitions, the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association (CARA) statewide Automotive Technology Challenge at Crowley Ford in Plainville, and the Top Tech Challenge hosted at the UTI campus in Norwood, Massachusetts.
UTI admissions representative Michael Balthazrr presented senior automotive technology students Jeffrey Berger of Oxford and Jesse Cavallaro-Dahn of Southbury each with an $8,000 UTI scholarship award during a ceremony held at Emmett O’Brien high school on March 4 for their second place finish at the CARA Automotive Technology Challenge in February. The scholarships can be used at any of the twelve UTI campuses across the United States.
The team from Emmett O’Brien was one of six high school teams whose results from a written examination qualified them to compete in the statewide competition. During the competition, the students diagnosed and repaired a number of pre-assigned problems in a car within an allotted amount of time.
“I am really proud of these guys. Placing second in the state in this hands-on technical competition is a huge accomplishment. They are top students and it’s wonderful to see the success they’ve achieved,” said Emmett O’Brien automotive instructor and department head Ignacio Vega.
In addition to awarding the student scholarships, Balthazrr presented Vega with a $1,500.00 Snap-On tool voucher for the school’s automotive program that Berger and junior Jared Saunderson of Trumbull earned for their second-place finish at the Top Tech Challenge automotive skills competition hosted at the UTI-Norwood campus in January.
Berger and Saunderson each won a $7,500 UTI scholarship award for their team’s performance at the competition. The Top Tech Challenge event brought together over 30 teams from high schools across New England to test their knowledge of automotive tools, systems and repair procedures.
Berger plans to use his UTI scholarship awards to attend the Automotive and Diesel & Industrial Technology program at the UTI campus in Norwood, Mass.
“The purpose of auto skills competitions like the Top Tech Challenge and the CARA Skills Competition is to showcase the technical knowledge and skills obtained through vocational training at the high school level. It’s a perfect way for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom and shop to real-world situations. Emmett O’Brien students have always competed at a very high level in these auto skills competitions, which is a testament to the support and guidance of their instructor Ignacio Vega and the quality of his automotive program,” said Balthazrr.