Women hold their own in auto tech

One inherited love of cars from her father

By Precious Kenney The Scene staff

Louise Johnson raised four children and earned a high school diploma through a Mers Goodwill program before she decided to enroll in college.

Her field of study? Automotive technology.

The 43-year-old didn’t care that students at Forest Park and in similar programs across the country are overwhelmingly men.

“My long-term goal is to open my own automotive shop,” she said. “With all women.”

Johnson inherited her love for cars from her father, who owned a mechanic business in the St. Louis area.

“He would always tell me, ‘Don’t get stuck on the side of the road,’” she recalled with a smile.

“He taught me the tricks and the trades of not getting stuck on the side of the road, and when I graduated high school, I chose automotive technology.”

Program goes way back

Automotive technology was one of the first programs offered at the new Forest Park campus of St. Louis Community College in 1967.

In those days, only men took automotive technology classes, but that hasn’t been the case for decades, according to Joe Jackson, program coordinator and department chair.

“We have had women in automotive for a while,” he said. “Every semester.”

The diesel technology program isn’t as popular with women, according to instructor Daniel Borgers. There are no women currently enrolled.

“We encourage female students to enroll through school-outreach programs like SkillsUSA,” he said. “This helps us get our name out there and teach people about what we do.”

SkillsUSA is an organization that hosts regional competitions for high-school and college students interested in trade, techni- cal and skilled-service careers.

Women join the automotive technology program at Forest Park for a variety of reasons, Borgers said.

Some want to become mechanics. Others just want to learn the terminology so they can communicate with people fixing their cars.

Anyone can enroll in diesel technology, but some women are discouraged by its physical requirements, including the ability to lift semi engines that weigh 70 to 80 pounds.

Six women are enrolled in the automotive technology program, according to Jackson.

“Everyone gets along,” Borgers said.

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