Empire Auto Parts Announces Scholarship Winners
Empire Auto Parts announced Jesse Kyles and Jamaal Medford as the inaugural recipients of $2,000 scholarships from its Empire Auto Parts Scholarship Fund, according to a news release.
The scholarship fund was created as part of Empire’s celebration of Black History Month in February 2024 and is administered by the TechForce Foundation.
Jamaal Medford, from New York, is currently enrolled in a one-year program at Universal Technical Institute in Long Beach, California. Medford served in the United States Marine Corps for 15 years and is now transitioning to a civilian career in the collision repair industry. “My dream career would be to be part of a team that grows together and can share industry knowledge to be successful,” Medford says.
Jesse Kyles is enrolled at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Memphis while also working at ATA Collision. Fascinated by cars his whole life, Kyles aims to run his own collision repair facility one day. “In order to do that, though, I need to learn how to do everything,” Kyles says. “My end goal is to have a well-known shop and work on various Japanese-style cars, such as Mazdas, Honda, Mitsubishis, and Nissans.”
“Empire Auto Parts is proud to support the ambitious dreams of individuals like Jamaal and Jesse, and we look forward to watching their careers blossom in the years ahead,” said Christopher Siebert, Empire’s CEO. “The industry is critically in need of capable talent that have the drive and skills to grow during dynamically changing times.”
The scholarships are part of a larger, multi-year financial commitment that Empire has made in support of TechForce Foundation’s mission to champion students to and through their education into technical careers, including developing the next wave of collision industry professionals. In addition to these two scholarships, Empire will also donate parts to be used in schools that participate in TechForce’s skill development programs.
