TSTC Auto Collision and Management Technology student receives nationwide scholarship

(WACO, Texas) – A Texas State Technical College student has received a nationwide scholarship focused on women in the automotive industry.

Kayla Walsh, of Arvada, Colorado, is in TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program at the Waco campus. She recently received a $3,000 Women in Auto Care scholarship, which is awarded by the Maryland-based Auto Care Association.

“It’s super cool,” Walsh said of the scholarship. “My tuition is out-of-state. It helps a ton in helping to pay for that.”

Walsh is in her third semester of working toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in Auto Collision and Management Technology – Refinishing Specialization.

“I love painting,” she said. “I’m a repetition kind of person. Painting is repetition, and I like that.”

Kyle Pokraka, an instructor in TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program, said Walsh has shown a determination that he seldom sees in his students.

“She consistently sets the standard of quality work among all of her classmates,” he said.

Walsh said she does not mind being one of the few women in the Auto Collision and Management Technology program.

“We are like a family,” she said. “We all support each other. I feel there is never any competition between us.”

Randy Licea, of Comanche, takes refinishing classes alongside Walsh. He said she stands out among the program’s other students.

“She shows up early,” Licea said. “She’s always on top of her tasks.”

Walsh said she wants to find a part-time internship for the fall and eventually get hired to stay to work in Texas.

The Auto Care Association provides advocacy, market intelligence, technology and other services to the entire supply chain of the automotive aftermarket. For more information, go to autocare.org. 

Registration continues for the fall semester at TSTC. For more information, go to tstc.edu.