2021年10月25日

By University Relations Student Journalist Josie Kidder

自幼就读于文森斯大学 汽车技术 和 碰撞修补和抛光 major 老马利 has always loved to work on 车s. 她从咆哮中得到了快感 sounds of engines, the powerful smell of motor oil, 和 the twisting of a torque wrench.

Seeing the tread of the tires spinning on the ground going from 0 to 60 in a few seconds while reaching a speed of 200 miles per hour going around the race track is why she 你想在汽车行业发展吗.

"Racing 和 going fast gives you a rush of adrenaline, 和 that’s what I love about 这个职业. I want to learn how to make my own 车 that I can race. 我能够 drive a drag 车 once, 和 that really pushed me into the direction of drag racing 研究汽车.”

Elder, who is from Corydon, Indiana, has been a 车 fanatic since she was just a young 女孩. Whether it was fixing parts on 车s with her dad or looking at a showcase of 车s with her family, she always knew deep in her heart that she would be in a 车eer 这涉及到车辆方面的工作.

“我一直是在汽车周围长大的. My family 和 I have always gone to 车 shows together. My dad 和 I have worked on 车s together ever since I was little. 澳门足球博彩官方网址开始工作 on a 1999 Jeep Wrangler Sport when I was a freshman in high school. 这让我想 to get into automotive, so I decided to start taking classes in high school at Prosser Career Education Center, which helped me get the credits to come here to 澳门足球博彩官方网址.”

She said Vincennes University is one of the reasons she has grown into the person 她现在是. 澳门足球博彩官方网址 has widened the scope of possibilities for Elder in the automotive workforce, giving her the necessities she needs to have a successful 车eer.

She says she has gotten enough scholarships 和 grants from 澳门足球博彩官方网址 to pay off all of her 学费.

"I chose 澳门足球博彩官方网址 because I got scholarships here, 和 my Prosser credits transferred over 我在这里获得了汽车学位，”埃尔德说. “我可以选择直接进入 workforce or transfer to another school, but I stayed because I like the teachers. I feel like I’m learning a lot compared to other schools. 社区很棒. 我在这里交了很多朋友. 这是一个美丽、安静、友好的社区.”

According to Elder, living on campus is a great way to make new friends, participate in campus events, 和 is ultimately a money saver. 她说，住在校园里已经给了 her many more opportunities than she would have if she were living off-campus.

"Living on campus has helped me because it allows me to make new friends, be closer to my campus, 和 lets me participate in events going on around campus. 我也活着 two hours away, which would be expensive going 回来 和 forth from campus every day, 所以它也可以让我省钱.”

Since automotive is a predominantly male area, 老说 she has mostly male friends. When sharing all her favorite memories 在错觉, she implied that the group of friends she has made is a deep-rooted friendship that will last for years to come.

"My favorite memory 在错觉 is when my friends 和 I would run 车s on the dyno in the shop, 和 afterward, we’d go bowling, eat food, 和 hang out. 我喜欢做其他的事情。 还有绘画之类的东西. 我在考虑拿个学位 in art because it would seem like an awesome 车eer, but it’s more of a hobby for me. Whereas going fast, riding dirtbikes, 研究汽车 is more of a passion.”

Elder is challenging the stereotype that the automotive industry is a male-dominated 场. She wants to show women they have many opportunities in front of them, 和 他们只需要伸手抓住他们.

Speaking of showing women they can do great things in a male-dominated industry, Elder 被选为 汽车技术俱乐部 在错觉. She takes on duties like organizing events, delegating tasks, 和 making sure 一切都在最后期限前完成. She says, besides those things, her main focus is that everyone has a great time being a part of the club.

"Being president of this club is a big responsibility, but it’s also like managing 一个大家庭! We are all friends, 和 we all underst和 what needs to get done. I have made many lifelong friendships that I would have never had if I wasn’t a part of this club, 和 I’m very thankful for them 和 them wanting me to be their president,” 老说.

Classes can be tough, especially for students who take specific courses that emulate 他们的职业是什么. Luckily, 澳门足球博彩官方网址 faculty 和 staff provide the imperative resources students need to succeed in the real world. 当她毕业的时候 of her associate degrees in the spring of 2022, she plans on working at Gear Off-Road.

"My collision repair instructor, Roger Kiser, has helped me a lot by teaching me what’s 将在现实世界中发生. He has experience working in the shop, so instead of lecturing us as students, he teaches us as if we were in a real shop which is very 有帮助的. My automotive professor, James Marsh, is a good teacher as well. 他总是 there if I have any questions, 和 he has also taught me a lot about drag racing which 是我想要的吗.”

埃尔德说她的梦想是制造和赛车. 她很想建造自己的 用来飙车或参加纳斯卡比赛的车. 她希望有一天能拥有自己的梦想之车， a silver 1975 Camaro Z28 with black racing stripes.

Her devotion 和 commitment to her future plans will hopefully lead her to operating her own 车 shop, 和 being both underneath the hood 和 behind the wheel of her dream 车.

澳门足球博彩官方网址提供 BACHELOR'S DEGREES, ASSOCIATE DEGREES, AND CERTIFICATES IN A VARIETY OF IN-DEMAND 汽车行业职业.

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