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Honolulu Community College automotive technology students bugging the vehicles the day before the competition.

 

Hawaiʻi’s best auto technology high school students gathered for the first time at Honolulu Community College for the 2015 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Challenge on Saturday, April 25 at Honolulu Community College.

“We are excited to welcome back the competition to our campus. These high school students gained valuable experience testing their current knowledge base and working together as a team. These are our future students and eventually future technicians,” says Bert Shimabukuro, professor of the automotive technology program at Honolulu CC.

The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Challenge is a nationwide automotive technology competition for high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing careers as automotive service technicians. The competition tests students’ automotive knowledge, workmanship and problem-solving abilities with a written test and a hands-on race against the clock to diagnose and properly repair an intentionally “bugged” vehicle, prepared by current Honolulu CC automotive students. 

The industry remains one of the nation’s in-demand and well-paying careers. The competition is sponsored by AAA Hawaiʻi as a part of its efforts to attract more young adults to the profession. Six student teams from four high schools competed, according to competition chairman Avo Asdourian of AAA Hawaiʻi:

3 people holding trophy
Winning first place team from Maui High School

1st Place
Maui High School
Instructor—Shannon Rowe
Students—David Casayuran and Joseph Burger

2nd Place
Maui High School
Instructor—Julio Bayez
Students—Edgar Pollante and Joey Lee

3rd Place
Lahainaluna High School
Instructor—Jay Ramos
Students—Ravin Ah Puck and Josiah Miguel

4th Place
King Kekaulike High School
Instructor—Matt Doty I
StudentsJustin Jose and Shane Fernandez

5th Place
King Kekaulike High School
Instructor—Petar Kovacic
Students—Noah Borling and Troy Evans

6th Place
Millilani High School
Instructor—Curtiss Hinden
Students—Brandon Yoshio Kalama Kobayashi and Dylan Kahiwalani Kawada

The winning state team will travel to the 2015 national championship this summer at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Millions of dollars in scholarships and prizes will be up for grabs for top finishers at the national championship.

See photos from the competition

Photos from Honolulu Community College’s Flickr site.

—By Billie Lueder

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