Autumn Pierre is a second-year student at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. While in school, Autumn is also a Technician at Power Kia in Salem. Autumn is credited for her strong work ethic and “can do” attitude.
What inspired you to take automotive classes?
I knew that I wanted to take automotive classes when I would work on my own cars. Every time I would replace a part or get to fix something, I felt very accomplished. At the end of the day, I was able to look at the work that I did and feel very proud of myself and what I was able to do. That made me realize that this is the industry for me. I really like working with my hands.
What has your experience been like working as a technician for Kia in your city?
Working at Kia has taught me a lot about the industry. I was grateful for the opportunity to get to work there. I work with some awesome people that are always willing to pull me to the side and show me something they think is interesting or that I need to learn, and they often give me advice about things. It’s been a really great experience.
How have you been able to manage the workload of both school and work?
It has been a balancing act to balance both, but I think that it has been easier because my boss is super flexible. He really wants me to finish my program and everything, so he’s been making sure that my schedule can go around my classes so that school can be a priority right now. I know that I’m doing what I love, so I don’t mind being busy all the time and not having a lot of time off.
Do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on at school or work that you’d like to share with us?
I don’t think I could pick just one. I really love anything to do with electrical or diagnostics. I think whenever I’m learning something new or getting to really dive deep into how something works, that’s just my favorite.
What are your plans for the future?
When I finish school, I’m hopeful that I’ll be an ASE Master certified tech by then, and then I have plans to go to Kia University to become a Kia Master Tech. I hope to be a little more well-rounded in everything. From there, I’d like to keep perfecting my skills. I’ll continue to focus on trying to be the best tech I could be.
Autumn’s instructor, Doug Rogers says, I nominated Autumn for Student of the Month because she has a thirst for knowledge and exceptional enthusiasm for figuring out vehicle issues. She just lights up when you give her a car with a problem in the shop.
She’s never quit on anything I’ve assigned to her in the past a year-and-a-half or so. She’s never said, “I can’t do it.” She’s a natural and a hard worker.
When she first got here, everything was, “I’m sorry,” and very meek. I said, “Don’t be sorry. We’re here to learn.” And now, she’s never sorry. She’s just taken off with it, and is always trying to improve, and asking what type of tooling to buy for work, and even doing cost comparison, and the worth of this type of stuff. Today, she was asking me about torque wrenches. Her work ethic and her positive can-do attitude is why I took the time to nominate her. That’s about it. She’s earned it. No favoritism, nothing like that. I didn’t give her anything. It’s something she earned. She deserves it. And I think she’s going to go out there and kill it in the industry. I truly believe that.
To nominate a student for consideration as a Continental Belts and Hose Student of the Month, click here.
