Scholarship Testimonial | Mia Armendariz

Mia Armendariz | Celebration Chevrolet

It brings me ,Mia Armendariz, a student and industry worker, great appreciation and esteem to have received this scholarship. It has truly helped me jump start and fuel my career so far to say the least. As I am an apprentice technician currently at GM. To be awarded this has also shown me immense gratitude for this foundation and shed light on the essential and beneficial change it has made for our environment and community. A little about myself and my own auto journey all started when I was little watching my dad and grandpa, being light maintenance “backyard mechanics''. During that time, I was able to get a small taste of my soon growing admiration of cars, which powered the curiosity of automotive craving more as I got older. In a similar fashion, I'd of course grow up having quite a few cars and every single one I have loved more or just as much as the last. Currently, being 22 years old, I have personally only really seen a glimpse of the old, present, and new generations of cars. With that being said, automotive as a whole is and has always been advancing and transforming. So now more than ever is it beyond important to be able to see and help inside and outside of the industry. Plus the need for technicians is astonishingly demanding right now. 

The foundation and the school have both worked together to aid and support the students starting in the industry, like connecting work opportunities and job fairs. Not to mention creating scholarships like this one to encourage and reward students and new technicians alike. Working at a dealership has had so many advantages and really makes a lasting impact on the community. As an apprentice tech I've gotten to learn so much not only about cars and fixing them, but how they really impact the world. For a long time we made cars to benefit and cater to the times they were being made, not so much focus on the lasting effects they were having on our earth. Now we are able to use technological advancements to better suit our living and environmental impact. Transportation alone has a huge negative influence on our economy and environment, but it doesn't always have to continue that way. Clear The Air's non-profit foundation has helped and encouraged the decrease of our carbon footprint. By recycling and donating cars that no longer need to be used and also have awful emissions. The foundation chose to help new car dealerships and tech students with tools while advocating for electric no emission cars or newer cars with better regulated emissions. It's not all about the fast and the furious as a car mechanic, it is really about fixing the problems to help the community. I'd like to extend my thanks again for this opportunity and opening the door to helping not only get new technicians like me equipped tool wise, education wise, and to create a road towards a safer and cleaner career and world.