August 9, 2012 - UTI-Sacramento student wins scholarship from Collision Repair Education Foundation

Terry Haltom, CRRT education manager, pictured with student Matt Andersen and his winning scholarship essay.

Collision Repair and Refinish Technology (CRRT) student Matt Andersen saw a career in the auto collision repair industry as a way to pursue two of his passions: cars and art. Painting since the young age of six, Andersen can appreciate the beauty in many things, especially in the aesthetic symmetry of automobiles. He equates the pleasure people have of gazing at a piece of art with the joy people feel when seeing a car restored to its original state of perfection.

Andersen effectively communicated his intentions and aspirations for a career in auto collision repair in the essay he wrote for the Collision Repair Education Foundation scholarship earlier this year, which earned him $4,000 toward his educational needs. Answering the essay question, “Why am I interested in auto collision repair as a career choice and what do I hope to achieve in the industry,” Andersen outlined the sense of satisfaction he gets from delivering excellent service to clients, maintaining safety standards for the vehicles on which he works and his desire to serve as a mentor to future technicians.

“I have quite simply found my passion,” Andersen wrote in his winning essay. “There just isn’t anything like the feeling I receive from the challenge of building, creating and refining a work of art, and the challenge continues to captivate my attention.”

Andersen hopes to one day run his own custom shop that provides collision repair in addition to custom options for the car enthusiast. He knows it will take determination and a lot of hard work, but he’s willing to give it a shot. This scholarship is a great first step.

“Matt has worked hard during his time at UTI,” said Terry Haltom, education manager for CRRT at UTI-Sacramento. “I can’t think of a more deserving student for this honor than Matt.”

To learn more about pursuing a career in the auto collision repair industry and the CRRT program at UTI, visit www.uti.edu. Want to interact with UTI-Sacramento online? Make sure to “like” the UTI-Sacramento Facebook page!