(HARLINGEN, Texas) – After being captivated by paint jobs on vintage and modern automobiles at an area car show and in auto refinishing videos on social media, Jessica Reyna knew that she had found her calling.
“I liked how enthusiastic vehicle owners are when they talk about their car or truck,” Reyna said. “I said I would like to do this job on someone’s vehicle someday.”
Now Reyna is studying for an Auto Collision Refinishing certificate of completion at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus.
“I am having a blast and enjoy coming to my classes,” she said. “I’ve heard that other women who graduated from our program are doing great in the field. It motivates me, and I want my skills to reach their level.”
Stephanie Luna is a TSTC alumna who works as a prepper at Hacienda Collision Center in Brownsville.
“I believe women are making a strong impact in the auto collision industry,” she said. “Many bring patience and attention to detail that make a difference in a shop. As for refinishing, women often have a sharper eye for color matching since some vehicle colors can be hard to identify and replicate.”
Raymundo Leija is one of Reyna’s instructors at TSTC.
“Jessica learns quickly and continues to improve her skills,” he said. “We’re excited to see her talent develop.”
Reyna said the program’s instructors have given her constructive criticism about her assignments and the work that she has done on restoration projects.
“We prepared a 2010 Ford Mustang for a Christmas parade last year,” she said. “They said the paint job I did looked good. However, I forgot to clean the panel. It wasn’t smooth like it should have been. It was a learning lesson.”
According to onetonline.org, automotive body and related repairers in Texas earn an average of $50,350 a year. The website projected that there would be a 13% increase in the number of such jobs in the state from 2022 to 2032.
TSTC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Auto Collision and Management Technology with refinishing and repair specializations at its Fort Bend County, Harlingen and Waco campuses. Several certificate options also are available.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.