FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Techforce Foundation Announces 2019 FutureTechs Rock Awards Winners

Ten automotive, diesel, motorcycle and collision repair technician students recognized for
outstanding contributions as role models at school and in their communities.

April 17, 2019 – SCOTTSDALE, AZ — TechForce Foundation announces the 2019 FutureTechs Rock Awards Grand Prize Winner is Jonathon Miranda, an automotive student attending Ohio Technical College, a post-secondary technical school in Cleveland, Ohio. To learn more about the 2019 FutureTechs Rock Awards, please visit: www.TechForceFoundation.org/FutureTechsRock. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Throughout his 18-month automotive program, Jonathon has maintained perfect attendance, achieved honor roll six times, and earned all A’s in his associate degree academic classes, which are separate from his technical coursework. Jonathon is a member of his school’s Student Leadership Council, where he serves as a role model and mentor, welcomes new students to campus, and volunteers for on-campus events. He also volunteers as a judge with Hot Rodders of Tomorrow, SEMA, and as lead judge for Piston Power Show’s high school engine building competition.

During the week of April 8 People’s Choice voting period, TechForce followers cast more than 25,000 votes among 10 national finalists who were selected among more than 160 nominees by a panel of judges to represent the different segments of the technician profession: automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle, motorsports, and machining. Jonathon secured the largest number of votes and thus has been named the Grand Prize Winner, earning his choice of a $1,000 TechForce Foundation tuition scholarship to apply towards his post-secondary technician education or a sponsored Snap-on® tool voucher of equal value.

Upon learning he won the national award, Jonathon exclaimed, “This is awesome! Just being nominated means so much to me. Thank you to TechForce Foundation and everyone who voted. This experience encourages me to do my best. It’s a great feeling to know that other people recognize my hard work.”

The FutureTech Rock Awards recognize and celebrate students’ commitment to and passion for the technician profession and the transportation industry. With the U.S. only graduating approximately 57,000 technician students each year while the workforce need is 120,000 new entrant techs per year just to keep up with demand, the technician shortage is real and emphasizes how valuable each one of these students is to our country’s transportation industry.

Nominations were put forth by instructors, school personnel, fellow students to youth program directors, business and community leaders. Nominations were reviewed by a panel of volunteer judges including Julia Landauer, NASCAR driver; Tony Molla, ASA; Brandon Eckenrode, Collision Repair Education Foundation; Larry Cox, Sunstate Equipment; Ken Calhoun, Altec Service Group; and Frank Leutz, Desert Car Care of Chandler and Wrench Nation who then selected ten national finalists, each of whom receives a tool voucher sponsored by Snap-on®, a gift certificate to Cengage’s online educational library sponsored by Cengage Learning, and a Haynes Online Manual sponsored by Haynes North America.

2019 TechForce Foundation FutureTechs Rock Awards winners: Grand Prize/ People’s Choice Winner: Jonathon Miranda – Automotive Student, Ohio Technical College, Cleveland, Ohio

The nine finalists include two automotive high school students: Ryan Adkins, Collins Career Center in Chesapeake, Ohio and Angelle Vanderwarf, Kankakee Area Career Center in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and one post-secondary student, Antonio Yepez Cervantes, Ventura College in Ventura, California. Finalists representing diesel are Liam Thompson, Delgado Community College, New Orleans, Louisiana and high school student, Noah Salo, attending Joliet Public School in Joliet, Montana. Representing welding & machining, the finalist is Felyciti Alvarez, Fallbrook High School, Fallbrook, California, and Aaron Smith who attends Schuylkill Technology Center, Frackville, Pennsylvania won as the motorcycle technician finalist. Representing collision repair are two finalists: high school student Wyatt Mote, Wake Forest High School, Wake Forest, North Carolina and postsecondary student, Riley Prince, who attends Gateway Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. For more information and quotes directly from each finalist, visit, visit www.TechForceFoundation.org/FutureTechsRock.

The FutureTechs Rock Awards are part of TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success® initiative to help inspire and support tomorrow’s workforce of technicians. FutureTech Success is sponsored by industry partners, including Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Bridgestone, CarMax, FedEx Freight, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Interstate Batteries, Manheim, Mercedes-Benz USA, Nissan North America, Penske Truck Leasing, Shell Pennzoil, Snap-on, Universal Technical Institute, Valvoline and WD-40.

“Our country relies on the mobility technician students of today who will keep America rolling tomorrow. By engaging in a challenging STEM curriculum, these students are preparing themselves for an in-demand, high-tech and rewarding career. FutureTechs Rock Awards nominees are role models for their fellow students and an inspiration to us all,” shares Jennifer Maher, Executive Director, TechForce Foundation.

About TechForce Foundation
TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the
vehicle technician profession. For more information,
visit www.techforce.org.

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