AutoZone awards scholarships to SkillsUSA National Champions

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — AutoZone, Inc. has released the names of the winners of its second annual AutoZone Future Technician Scholarship, a $10,000 automotive industry-focused scholarship that is divided among the gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the SkillsUSA National Championship, Automotive Service Technology competition recently held in Kansas City, Mo.

“The AutoZone Future Technician Scholarship was created to provide an incentive to high school students seeking post-secondary education, help build automotive career awareness and infuse highly-qualified professionals into the workforce,” says AutoZone Chairman, President and CEO Bill Rhodes. “One of the most effective ways to achieve those goals is to support and cultivate educational opportunities for future automotive professionals. This scholarship gives us the opportunity to make a profound and positive impact on the future of the automotive industry.”

Competitors in the Automotive Service Technology contest were given the chance to showcase their skills, and testing was based on tasks outlined by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). Thirteen workstations tested the students’ mechanical and diagnostic knowledge of all the major systems found in today’s automobiles. Testing was accomplished with an array of vehicles, computers, simulator boards and component bench testing. Contestants also had to take a comprehensive written exam.

The AutoZone Future Technician Scholarship Winners are: Gold Medal – Daniel Lehmkuhl of San Luis Obispo High School in San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Silver Medal – Dan Martin of Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Kan.; Bronze Medal – Steve Ray of the Center For Technology in Essex Junction, Vt.

"We are very pleased to join with AutoZone in creating this scholarship program," says Eric Gearhart, SkillsUSA's director of Business and Industry Partnerships. "As an Official Sponsor, AutoZone continues to demonstrate that corporate citizenship is alive and thriving. We need to revitalize technical education in this country and AutoZone is stepping up to the challenge.”