South San High School Auto Tech Program is Empowering Girls

The auto tech foreman at South San Antonio Carmen Hernandez is a senior shop foreman for the Auto Tech 2 class this school year, and is making history as one of the first female students to be in a leadership position in the program. Hernandez stated that, “It’s an honor because knowing that I’m one of the first and not one of the last makes me proud, Knowing that I had enough motivation to do this myself makes me feel like I have an influence on those who come after me.”

Hernandez also said that she got a delayed start due to the pandemic and that, “After quarantine, I realized, I want to do something that’ll make me happy. I want to feel like I have something to look forward to, Being able to join in after quarantine and having that connection with the previous class, that entire dynamic was really nice and it influences me now on how I work together with my classmates.”

She credits the realization for pursuing the Auto Tech program without caring what others thought of it, “It’s given me a lot of confidence…being a girl doesn’t disqualify me from doing anything, so it makes me feel like I have an upper hand. I get excited knowing that maybe I’m stepping on someone’s toes who doesn’t want to see me rise to the top.”

Hernandez has some advice as well for any girls that may be interested in joining a program like the one that she is in saying that, “It’s totally fine to be afraid in the beginning, and it’s never a bad thing to still be afraid, it’s just part of going through the motions. You’re going to have tough times, but it’s more about perseverance, having support and working smoothly with colleagues…and knowing even in those tough times, there will be better things to come.”

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