March 8, 2023–TechForce Foundation has announced Taeler Coverdale as the Grand Prize winner of its 2023 FutureTechs Rock Awards, according to a press release.
Coverdale is a collision student at the Universal Technical Institute in Houston, Texas, and was chosen as the Grand Prize winner out of a list of ten students that each won in a distinct category.
A $1,000 TechForce scholarship and $4,000 in prizes will be awarded to Coverdale. Prizes are provided by TechForce as well as sponsors such as Advance Auto Parts, Nissan, and Volvo.
Upon being revealed as the winner, Coverdale said that she was “in utter shock.”
“Thank you for the opportunity...being an example for other women...that’s what I want, that’s why I'm in this,” she said. “I want to make a difference for women in this industry. If a girl sees that she might think she’s able to do this as a career.”
TechForce Executive Director Jennifer Maher said that individuals like Coverdale can inspire other women to join a historically male-dominated industry that desperately needs more people.
“Women account for less than 3% of transportation techs, and so welcoming women into the trade is critical to addressing the ongoing technician shortage,” Maher said.
