Plumbing Apprentice Wins Car Scholarship From Carvana

ATLANTA — Carvana awarded the first of its kind auto scholarships Thursday to an Atlanta man training to be a plumber.

Sean Lattimore was selected as one of the top graduates of the Georgia Building Trades Academy’s YouthBuild pre-apprenticeship program, which trains teens and young adults for and places them in careers in the construction industry.

Soon, Lattimore will start an apprenticeship through the Atlanta Plumbers, Pipefitters, HVACR Technicians Local Union 72 and be on his way to a promising career.

But first, he had to get a car to get him to and from work, courtesy of GABTA’s 4 Wheels 4 Work program through its partnership with the used car chain.

Thursday he arrived at Carvana’s flagship Car Vending Machine towering over the I-75/85 Connector on 16th Street. As Lattimore walked into the base of the building he was greeted by a dozen or so Carvana employees, plenty of fanfare, and palm-sized silver Carvana commemorative coin.

He approached a huge coin slot at the bottom of an 11-story glass, rectangular structure with cars on four sides of every level, stacked all the way to the top.

When Lattimore deposited the token strobe lights started flashing and spinning inside the structure, and giant turn-table whirred upward on an elevator three, four, then five floors above before stopping.

A car-sized tray with a grey late-model Hyundai Sonata slid from the window five stories above and onto the turntable and descended, slowly turning clockwise until came to a stop on the floor facing Lattimore.

“Oh, man. This is so cool,” a bemused, but subdued Lattimore said as he got the first glimpse of his new ride.

The 19-year-old stood out from other YouthBuild participants because of his attention to detail, his intelligence and his drive, said Allison Andrews B.E.A.C.O.N. (Black Employees and Allies of Carvana), one of the non-profit employee resource groups operating within the company that made the more-than $20,000 4 Wheels 4 Work donation possible.

“It’s no thanks to us, because you did all the work,” Andrews told Lattimore as he looked through the car.

“Sean was identified just for his persistence in the program and how hard he worked. All of his teachers notice that and all of the leadership he exhibited.”

She said B.E.A.C.O.N. raised the funding and partnered with GABTA with the goal of easing a young worker’s transition into the workforce.

“It's everything because I know that there shouldn't be a barrier for someone to be able to make living for themselves and get to enjoy from work,” Andrews said. “So we gave the organization a $20,000 donation, and they were able to put more money with it.”

Lattimore acknowledged that he had been clued in soon after his YouthBuild graduation earlier this year that something special was awaiting him. But he was still grateful and gracious to Carvana and all those who helped him complete the program.

“It’s a blessing,” he said of the car. “I just thank God for the instructors and at YouthBuild and my parents for getting me this far so I can just prepare myself for going to work and coming home safely. I just thank Carvana and the people here for allowing me to be in this position where I can get a car, go to work and come home and be safe.”