Roxanne Amiot, auto technology instructor at Bullard-Havens Technical High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, received the 2019 SEMA-NACAT Education Award during the Education Partners Breakfast at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Bullard-Havens was named the Tomorrow’s Technician 2018 School of the Year, sponsored by WIX Filters and O’Reilly Auto Parts, under Amiot’s direction.
The award, which encourages education in the automotive aftermarket industry, recognizes instructors who teach automotive-related curricula and demonstrate positive and innovative use of aftermarket technology in their classrooms.
Amiot, who is also the head of the Automotive Technology Department at Bullard-Havens Technical High School, was selected from a very competitive field that included applicants from the U.S. and Canada.
“We are pleased to present Amiot with an award that recognizes the daily impact made in the classroom and her true passion for automotive,” said Zane Clark, SEMA senior director of education. “Her dedication to students is essential to fostering an exciting future for our aftermarket industry.”
Amiot, who worked in the automotive industry before teaching in 1988, is an alumni of the award-winning program that she now oversees. The Bullard-Havens Technical High School automotive program has been recognized for its live production repair garage, where aftermarket parts are used in community projects throughout the year. Students are prepared for careers in the automotive industry through job shadowing, community work-based opportunities, as well as interview days that include automotive aftermarket businesses such as NAPA, Fed Mogul, O’Reillys and Pep boys.
“Being recognized nationally by SEMA and NACAT brings positive attention and credibility to the work we do in our automotive technology repair program,” said Amiot. “With that comes support from the industry and the state to keep our programs open and financially funded so that we can continue to do what we do best, build skilled workers for our automotive industry.”
Amiot is an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Master Certified Technician with L1 and G1 certifications. Her automotive technology is accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and Automotive Youth Educational Systems.
As part of the award, Amiot will also receive a complimentary registration to NACAT and $500 towards travel to attend the 2020 NACAT Conference and Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In addition to partnering with NACAT to recognize educators who support the automotive education of students, SEMA’s Educational Program includes Scholarship & Loan Forgiveness, SEMA Show Student Programs and an annual High School Vehicle Build Program.
To learn more about the SEMA-NACAT Award or SEMA’s Educational Programs, visit www.sema.org/education.
