At the Automotive Technology Program at Lanier High School, students in the Practicum class never know what kind of vehicle they will work on from day to day. Modeled after the experience of working in a professional repair shop or a car dealership, the seniors in the automotive program must be ready to diagnose whatever comes through their garage doors. 

 

And they are ready. The 21 seniors in the program, who have been taking Dual Credit Courses at Lanier through St. Philip’s College, will be the first cohort to graduate with a level one certificate. 

 

“Once they pass an Industry recognized ASE certification exam, such as the G1 Maintenance and Light Repair test, they’re proficient in entry-level work,” automotive instructor Juan Morales said. “They can go from here at Lanier to a repair shop, to a dealership, show them their credentials and have an opportunity to start working.”

 

Their classes, which begin either their ninth-grade year at Lanier or their eighth-grade year across the street at Tafolla Middle School, start with principles of transportation taught by Danielle Hamilton. In this class, the students learn the eight basic automotive systems, safety rules, and employability skills. 

 

“We’re already starting to bridge what the next step of their life is going to be if they choose to go to college,” Hamilton said. “We offer that right here in-house without them ever having to set foot on campus.”

 

Hamilton, who came from a job in industry as a dealership technician, also teaches at St. Philip’s College at night. Through her classes, she prepares her students for what a college experience will be like, including a student code of conduct, department policies and student expectations. 

 

Hamilton said she prides herself in making sure her students all have a basic understanding of cars, common problems, and common maintenance solutions. 

 

“Every single person that owns a vehicle or operates a vehicle needs to know the basics,” Hamilton said. “They need to know what the tire light means. They need to know where the spare is located. They need to know how to check their oil, how to replace their battery, replace a bulb.”

 

As the students move through the program, they take classes with Morales their junior and senior years. In these classes, Morales, who is a Lanier graduate and has been teaching the program for 18 years, prepares students with the knowledge they need to take apart systems, diagnose problems, and repair them. Using their real-life lab, he walks his students through situations, pointing out common problems, pitfalls, and how to explain problems to a customer.  As his students move up through the upper-level courses, they get experience working in teams and communicating through problems.

 

“I think it's one of the best programs here at Lanier,” junior Anselmo Ramos said. “It’s super competitive, and there’s tremendous leadership that goes on in this class. You get everyone involved. You break out of your shell; you communicate with customers and your peers to get better overall as a class.”

 

Ramos and his peers got the chance to put their skills — both automotive and leadership — to the test at the SkillsUSA competition Feb. 19, where they earned awards in nine categories, and the opportunity to compete at the state level. Ramos earned third place in Customer Service. 

 

Junior Raymond Herrera earned first place in Maintenance and Light Repair at SkillsUSA, and second place in Related Technical Math. Herrera was drawn to the automotive program for his love of cars and has come to fall in love with the technical and mathematical aspects of the program. He was part of the school’s electric car team and was instrumental in calculating the remaining battery life that would allow the team to accelerate at the end of the race and win. He says the program has allowed him to branch out and explore his interests in a field that fascinates him. 

 

“We live in a car-dominated society,” Hererra said. “You’re learning something for you; eventually, when you graduate, you’re going to have a car.”

 

Hererra said he hopes to pursue a career as an automotive technician or as an engineer at Toyota.

 

For the seniors in the practicum class, every day they are either learning in their real-world lab — the Lanier shop — or for a few, they are already working in the industry. Senior Angel De La Cruz leaves after sixth period to go to Temple Hill Automotive to work a paid position in his chosen field. 

 

“They were happy to bring me on board and show me the ropes,” De La Cruz said. “They’re giving me the opportunity to work on brakes, steering, and suspension. If anything, the Lanier program made me stick out more from the others.”

 

De La Cruz plans to work in the summer before taking classes at St. Philip’s in the fall to complete more automotive certifications. 

 

The automotive program attracts students with a multitude of career interests, because the skills they learn in automotive technology are useful in many industries. 

 

“When doing an alignment or a brake job, you have to go step by step,” senior Jessica Godinez said. “If you have a peer that doesn’t know what to do, you can go out and help them. It helps me, as I want to be a teacher, to help them step by step. I need that communication.”

 

Godinez, who earned third place in the Job Interview competition, is part of a group of six female seniors that have taken auto technology courses together since their ninth-grade year. Crystal Calderon is another. Calderon said she was motivated by her dad, another alumnus of the Lanier auto program, and is grateful for all the program has given her for her future. 

 

“It’s going to help me out in the future for sure,” Calderon said. “I’m going to go into business. I want to use this program to my advantage. As I’m gaining college credit, I’m also getting experience here. I told my mom that hopefully one day I intend to build my own shop and name it after my dad.”

 

As the upper-level students gain the skills they need for the future, they’re also providing a valuable service to the community. The cars they work on belong to classmates, teachers, families, and even community members. 

 

“Everybody knows that car repair can potentially be very expensive,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes we will cover the cost of repairs or sometimes we will tell them ‘You just pay for the part; we won’t charge you for the labor.’ The community around us is getting an opportunity to save a lot of money and get an honest diagnosis of what’s wrong with their vehicles, while also giving an in-depth education and hands-on opportunity for our students.”