Automotive students win Ohio College scholarships

Orleans-Niagara BOCES auto tech seniors Kyle Jung and Daniel Ruble know what they will be doing this fall: attending classes at Ohio Technical College.

Both students received a $10,000 scholarship, and their teacher Jasper Adams couldn't be prouder. "This is a wonderful opportunity for both of them. They are very hard workers, and I know that they will do very well at this college."

Eastern Regional Admissions Manager Russell Demme says that the students will find furthering their education will definitely open a lot of doors for them.

"Companies are willing to do what it takes to get trained graduates to come work for them. BMW looks for graduates who have at least a 90 percent average and 98 percent attendance rate and of course, a clean driving record," he said. "They will hire those people at top salary and send them for additional training for free. It is not unusual for most places to offer $25-$30 an hour."

Jung from Niagara-Wheatfield High School and Ruble from Wilson High School won first place at the recent Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers' Auto Tech Competition and are gearing up for the national competition next month in New York City.

Northtown Subaru has stepped up to the plate to help the students have an advantage. The car that they will be working on in the International Auto Show competition is a Subaru. The Amherst dealership is lending the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center students not only a brand-new Subaru on which to practice their skills, but one of their master technicians Mac McCarthy will be at their disposal to help them learn the car, and also to bug it so that the students get plenty of practice on how to repair it.

"I am a former graduate of Orleans/Niagara BOCES myself, and I have a passion for teaching, so it is nice to share my 25 years experience with Subaru with them," McCarthy said. "Things are very different now than when I graduated. For one thing, there weren't competitions like this, and there were certainly not colleges and tech schools you could go to after graduation."