Sep 8, 2021   SOURCE: BusinessWire

CA New Car Dealers Association Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards for 20 Auto Tech Students Across the State

The California New Car Dealers Association Scholarship Foundation announced the winners of its annual “CAR CAREERS” Scholarship Program, providing more than $100,000 to deserving students who are pursuing careers in automotive technology. The grant recipients were selected through a competitive application process that evaluated academic performance, career interests, and industry experience.

The Foundation Board selected the top 4 candidates from 5 regions across the state, who were each awarded $5,000 to cover education and training expenses. From these 20 grant recipients, Vincent Lagasca was selected as the overall statewide winner, receiving an additional $5,000 for the Peter K. Welch Honorary Scholarship.

“We were very impressed with the students who applied for this scholarship program and are proud to be able to support them as they pursue promising careers in the auto tech industry,” said Brian Maas, CNCDA President and CNCDA Scholarship Foundation Vice President.

Nikolai Hansen, an award recipient from Solano Community College, stated: “What interests me most about the automotive industry is how important cars are to our culture in America and how much people depend on the industry to produce, maintain, and repair automotive vehicles. From getting to work each day or driving across the country to visit family, we all depend on our vehicles to get us where we need to be.”

Molly Poer, an award recipient from Cypress College, said: “There’s something fulfilling about tightening the final bolt on a project – a sense of accomplishment that I haven’t found anywhere else. Being an unconventional student, who has already completed previous degrees, worked in a different field, and yet still wants to grow my skill set to transition to a vastly different career, I know that I don’t fit the mold of a traditional technician . . . I want to be able to give people, men and women alike, the peace of mind that their vehicle is in the hands of someone who cares.”

“We want to help encourage more and more students to think about the automotive industry as an attractive career option,” said Cheryl Bedford, Chairperson of the CNCDA Scholarship Foundation. “We believe this scholarship program will help not only support the students who win, but will also serve as a tool to increase interest and awareness about the industry,”

The CAR CAREERS Scholarship will be offered again in 2022 – and information on program specifics and the application process can be found here.

About CNCDA’s Scholarship Foundation Founded in 1993, the CNCDA Scholarship Foundation has awarded scholarships to 1,326 students who are preparing to enter into the workforce at a California new car dealership. This represents a total impact of more than $1 million in supporting our state’s future auto workforce.