Women in Auto Care, a community of the Auto Care Association, saw another record year for its scholarship program, distributing 96 awards worth $300,000 in both cash scholarships and starter tool sets to female students across the U.S. looking to have a career in the auto care industry.
The incredible success of this year’s program was supported by the generosity of Women in Auto Care community sponsors and member donations, as well as tool partnerships with Genuine Parts/NAPA and Acuity.
“We know that the cost of toolkits can be a major barrier for students and new techs entering the field because of the cost associated with them," said Chelsea Burriss, Acuity. “We want to help remove that barrier, so that those individuals who have interest in pursuing a career in auto care have one less expense to worry about and can feel confident entering their education with a high-quality toolset.”
The Women in Auto Care scholarship program began in 2004 with just $2,000 and has continued to gain momentum each year. This marks the fifth year in a row the program has been its most successful to-date, nearly doubling the record set in 2021. In addition, 2022 will see the program surpass a major milestone of more than $1 million dollars’ worth of awards being distributed.
“The Women in Auto Care community scholarship distribution has surpassed one million dollars,” said Jessica Toliuszis, 2022 Women in Auto Care chair. “One. Million. Dollars, in tools and cash prizes for the next generation of automotive professionals. Hundreds of women received scholarships which allowed them to pursue their goal of a career in the auto care industry thanks to the generosity of an entire community. You, every single one of you, played a role in developing the future of our industry. Thank you.”
Women in Auto Care will also once again partner with DRiV/Garage Gurus for an additional $35,000 in awards for a spring program. The recipients of those awards will be announced at AAPEX.For more information about Women in Auto Care, contact womeninautocare@autocare.org or visit the website.
Source: Women in Auto Care
Abby Andrews