Meet the inspiring students receiving the Justin Beutel Memorial Scholarship

Scottsdale, Ariz – August 24, 2020 – TechForce Foundation has the privilege to award the Justin Beutel Memorial Scholarship to qualified, dedicated and passionate motorcycle technician students. The two students recently selected to receive the award both show strong dedication to their education and exhibit exceptional drive and tenacity.

Congratulations to Jazmine (left) and Elizabeth (right), students at Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, Arizona! Both women show a passion for, and commitment to, their motorcycle technician training, having exhibited great persistence to pursue their education.

A shared dream

We asked Jazmine and Elizabeth what their dream technician careers would look like. From their answers, we found they have more in common than simply their interest in motorcycles.

Jazmine writes, “I have always had an interest in the ’Investigate and Resolve’ aspect of my career. I have a passion for motorcycles and have been riding one for over 5 years. My dream career would be to own an all-female operating motorcycle shop.”

Elizabeth shares Jazmine’s dream of owning her own shop, “My dream career is owning a motorcycle garage where I service motorcycles and I train others to do the same and to learn the methods of business… in this garage I will have the ability to train people who are recovering from addiction, or perhaps have been in prison. In addition, this garage will have a “hang-out” space. As my business grows, I will invest back into tech schools, to see other people receive training.”

Jasmine and Elizabeth’s shared dream of owning their own shop reflects the spirit of the Award’s namesake, Harley Davidson Master Mechanic Justin Beutel. In 2018 Justin’s life was tragically ended by an intruder on his family’s property, only a few short months after achieving his dream of founding a motorcycle shop of his own. Although he is deeply missed, Justin is remembered by those who loved him through this award.

Getting to know the winners: Jazmine

Jazmine is very tenacious. “My rule of thumb when working is to do what I can, when I can, while I can. Every job is important no matter how small. I always have a “can-do” attitude towards completing my work and take pride in my work ethic.”

Her “do-what-I-can” attitude applies to her community as well. “I make it a point to be kind, respectful, compassionate and empathetic towards all that I come across. I have always been an active volunteer for The Humane Society, Operation Kindness, and Meals on Wheels,” she writes.

Jazmine is committed to her education. It is the promise of charting her own course that keeps her motivated, “Between school and work I am pulling in around 75 hours per week. It’s exhausting and sometimes I wonder ‘Why am I doing this at all?’ especially during a pandemic. But I do it because I know I am working towards something… I am in the point in my life where I know what I want to do, where I want to be, and who I want to be. I continue every day to hustle, do my best and make sure that all the sacrifices I’ve made to get me where I am, will have not been made in vain.”

Getting to know the winners: Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a strong advocate for trade careers, and she leads by example. Her outlook on life has been shaped by experience, “It has been my life experience that hard work, honesty and reliability are the means to success. Learning a trade presents the opportunity to contribute to society and to generate income without acquiring great debt. I have children whom I have taught to work in order to afford the things that they want. I have been successful in supporting my children through hard work and am excited to add another trade to that foundation… hard labor is good for the soul, and completing physical tasks is therapeutic, building confidence and self-esteem.”

In addition to school and work, Elizabeth also volunteers time to support her community. “I’ve done community service with Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon. I helped start an unconventional church and serve food weekly, while also providing emotional support to members. I also volunteer in my daughters’ schools, helping to chaperone.”

The recent pandemic has not changed Elizabeth’s drive, “It is very important to continue even through such hard and unpredictable events. I am sending a very strong and very clear message to my three daughters and classmates – CONTINUE ON, within reason and with careful consideration, do not quit, do not stop. This is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I will view this as a success if I have uplifted those around me as I have moved forward.”

The Award

Congratulations again to Jazmine and Elizabeth on their selection to receive the Justin Beutel Memorial Scholarship! The funds awarded to each student will help with the costs of pursuing their motorcycle technician training.

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 $1.5 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors. Also, it spearheads an industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For information on TechForce Foundation’s scholarships, visit techforce.org/scholarships. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

By Greg Settle, TechForce Foundation Director of National Initiatives

TechForce Foundation^® Willy Bertoti Memorial Scholarship to Continue in Perpetuity

At Pottstown High School memorial gathering, Bertoti family
announces the Memorial Scholarship to continue in Willy’s memory

Pottstown, PA – October 5, 2019 – It has been five years since Willy Bertoti, an automotive instructor at Pottstown High School in Pottstown, PA passed away unexpectedly. Willy made an impact on everyone his life touched, and especially his students. To honor Willy, friends and co-workers set up the Willy Bertoti Memorial Scholarship Fund with TechForce Foundation, shortly after his passing. To date, there have been seven scholarship recipients receiving support to attend Universal Technical Institute in Exton, PA.

On Saturday, October 5th, a celebration was held at Pottstown High School in honor of Willy. The memorial was organized by the Federation of Pottstown Teachers, among which Willy counted many friends. A small grassy area next to the school’s football field was set aside and dedicated in his memory as a place for reflection and meditation. The special area now is home to a beautiful shade tree, surrounded by flowers. To complete the memorial setting, a very special bench was unveiled, hand-built over many hours by the current automotive class students, constructed mostly from truck parts.

The overarching theme throughout the celebration, as one person after another recalled their memories of Willy, was how much difference one caring person can make in the lives of others.

At the closing of the celebration, Willy’s widow Dolores, along with her son Christopher, announced that the Memorial Scholarship Fund is being set up as a perpetual fund to ensure Pottstown High School students will always benefit from the support of the fund, and to ensure Willy’s memory will live on.

Donations to the fund can be made to the Willy Bertoti Memorial Scholarship Fund at https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/TECHFORCE/team/WilliamLBertoti

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Student Pursues His Passion, with Support from TechForce Foundation^®

Andrew’s dream career is to build custom motorcycles. He stumbled across his passion while growing up in Northern Idaho. Like many future technicians Andrew tinkered with machines, pulling apart dirt bikes to repair them, or just to see how things worked.

Over the years Andrew kept his passion alive as a hobby. He worked on dirt bikes and motorcycles in his free time, but it was not until he found himself feeling stuck in his desk job that Andrew decided to make the switch to a career he is passionate about.

Andrew initially looked into a more traditional four-year education, but found that classroom learning was not for him. In his own words, Andrew is “a very hands on learner”. Through a stroke of luck, Andrew learned of technical school from a good friend, while helping them work on their motorcycle. Since that day Andrew has not looked back.

Andrew is currently enrolled at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, and feels very optimistic about his future prospects, “Having my degree will open many doors down the road, and I can finally say that I am fully passionate about my career.”

Congratulations to Andrew for being awarded a $3,000 tuition scholarship and for being accepted into the TechForce Ambassador program. TechForce Foundation is proud to support Andrew’s technical education in pursuit of his passion and future career.

To learn more about TechForce Foundation’s scholarships and grants, visit https://techforce.org/scholarships/

Congratulations to Angelina who was awarded a $10,000 NASCAR / Brienne Davis Memorial Tuition Scholarship.

Ever since Angelina was a little girl, her family would travel 10 hours to ride sand rails in the desert. Together, with her grandparents and father, they assembled a soap box car from scratch; racing it for four years.

At the age of 14, Angelina began racing quarter midget cars, developing interest and understanding for maintaining all aspects of proper vehicle care. As her passion for riding and working on quads continued, Angelina began racing Micro-Sprint cars through sponsorships from local businesses. Every weekend, Angelina can be found either racing or helping other race teams win. She mentors 5-13 year old kids about the basics of racing, from safety, to changing tires and driving.

“My dream is to be able to combine my hobby with my career. My end goal is to be a part of NASCAR, either as a driver or part of a team. Being a racer myself, I can understand the dedication and commitment it takes to excel in either. To impact the industry, I plan to be a successful woman in a male-dominated field. I want to be respected and make a contribution in a career that I will enjoy.”

Angelina’s career path into technical education embodies her motorsports passion. However, it took some convincing of her parents who anticipated Angelina would attend nursing school. She researched careers in NASCAR to discover that Universal Technical Institute (UTI) had the only NASCAR sponsored program in the entire United States. After conducting her research, Angelina made an appointment with her parents to visit the Sacramento campus. “They were so impressed with my determination and with UTI that I withdrew from school and signed up for UTI.”

Through the assistance of the Brienne Davis Memorial Tuition Scholarship, Angelina is turning her dream into a reality. Following her true calling and having the support from her family, Angelina will surely make great contributions and a serve as a role model for future women technicians.