Rachel Markovics, 17, is the first female high school student to compete in the Connecticut Automotive Technology Competition in the 20 plus years it’s been held.
“My parents are proud of me,” Markovics said.
Markovics is a senior at Vinal Technical High School. She said she grew up spending a lot of time at her dad’s heavy equipment shop. “I just like tinkering with things. It’s fun.”
All the students are required to take a certification test for automotive and only the top six teams in the state get to compete.
This year, students came from Henry Abbott Technical High School in Danbury, Norwich Technical High School in Norwich, Emmett O’Brien Technical High School in Ansonia, Vinal Technical High School in Middletown, Windham Technical High School in Willimantic and Oliver Wolcott Technical High School in Torrington.
The students worked throughout the day on six stations. They had to diagnose faults and explain the needed repairs, conduct vehicle pre-delivery inspections, check the wheel alignment and balance, diagnose electrical problems and go through an interview process.
The students will be eligible to receive scholarships and the winning team will advance to the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York City in April.
