Richland 1 Auto, Diesel Tech Students Take Home Awards at Skills Contests

Brandon Velazquez and Damien Smith, students in the automotive technology class at Heyward Career and Technology Center, won first place in the prestigious Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Contest at Lowes Motor Speedway. 

They defeated student teams from nine other automotive technology programs to capture the state title and qualify for the national competition. They earned the first-place trophy for perfectly diagnosing and repairing electrical and mechanical “bugs” deliberately placed in a 2013 Ford Focus SE and for scoring the highest on the state qualifying exam. 

The two juniors also earned more than $30,000 in scholarships as well as tools from Snap-On Tools. Brandon and Damien, along with instructor Edwin Martin, will travel to Ford Motor Company’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan this summer to represent South Carolina and compete against students from 49 other states.

Students in the diesel technology program at Heyward Career and Technology Center showed off their skills during the program’s end-of-the year Top Tech Competition in May. During the competition students diagnosed electrical/electronic problems, identified various hand and power tools, assembled and installed an engine piston, and identified an engine component. 

Pictured are third-place winner Alisha Taylor and first-place winner Daniel Westbrook, both of A.C. Flora High School, and second-place winner Kailey Addison of Dreher High School. Automotive experts from SCANA, Cummins Atlantic, Lincoln Technical College, the National Guard and Richland One’s Career and Technology Education program served as proctors during the competition.