Frank Dettmers, a collision instructor at WyoTech – Laramie, has energy and enthusiasm that is contagious to his students and co-workers. He incorporates his life experiences into his lectures, which makes it easier for his students to grasp the curriculum. Dettmers’ talent for motivating and engaging students in classroom and community activities recently earned him the 2010 Dream Maker Award.
The Dream Maker Award, presented by WyoTech’s parent company, Corinthian Colleges Inc., recognizes extraordinary instructors who have changed student lives for the better through education. Dettmers was one of eight instructors selected to receive the 2010 award from more than 100 campuses across the U.S. and Canada.
“Frank is a true student advocate,” said Guy Warpness, president of WyoTech’s Laramie campus. “He takes pride in his students’ success and has been instrumental in aligning graduates with industry leaders. In addition, his fundraising efforts have helped the Laramie campus earn the U.S. Presidential Honor Roll Award for Community Service for the past three years. Frank and his students have touched the lives of many. He is most deserving of the Dream Maker Award.”
Dettmers is certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) in both Non-Structural Analysis and Damage Repair and Structural Analysis and Damage Repair. He also holds certifications from companies such as Sherwin-Williams and General Motors.
As a lead instructor in collision and refinishing, Dettmers teaches four courses in the program. On weekends, he often leads advanced training workshops that give his students special skills in addition to the curriculum. He also holds review sessions before and after his classes to ensure that his students get the personal attention they need to excel.
Dettmers has earned the respect of his students and when asked how he connects with them, he responds, “I treat them the way I would want my own kids to be treated if they were in a school a thousand miles away.”
Dettmers dedication extends beyond the classroom to community service efforts where his classes are consistently top contributors to such events as Relay for Life, a campus blood drive and a fundraiser for a hospitalized student. As one student put it, “It was Mr. Dettmers who motivates us to volunteer and participate in fundraising. He made us realize that together we can truly make a difference.”