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HOUSTON (May 26, 2022) – Universal Technical Institute (UTI) Houston campus leaders hosted area high school automotive technical education students for its Top Tech Challenge Saturday, March 5. A total of 123 participants from 25 high schools competed to show off their automotive/diesel and collision repair and finishing skills. $88,500 in tuition grants that can be applied at any UTI campus and trophies were awarded to the winners. Snap-on Incorporated donated approximately $15,000 in toolboxes and toolsets for the high schools of the first, second and third place finishers. A panel of UTI-Houston instructors served as judges.

For the automotive/diesel competitions, 47 teams of two from 20 schools assembled to compete in a 20-minute Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) written test and five other skills: hydraulics, electrical circuits, vehicle component identification, charging system diagnosis, and brakes and tires. Samuel Gornick and Ricardo Mendoza from Klein Cain High School in Klein, Texas were awarded first place, and each received a $10,000 UTI tuition grant. James Robinson and Charles Hendrix from Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas took second place, and each received a $7,500 UTI tuition grant. Alon Barreto and Thomas Berry from Miller Career & Technology Center in Katy, Texas were the third place winners, and each received a $5,000 UTI tuition grant.

The 4^th – 10^th Place Teams received a $1,000 UTI tuition grant for each team member:

• 4^th Place: Avery Viktorin and Raul Avila from El Campo High School, El Campo, Texas
• 5^th Place: William Smith and Luigi Santos from Huntsville High School, Huntsville, Texas
• 6^th Place: Pedro Morales and Zachary Chandler from North Shore Senior High School, Houston, Texas
• 7^th Place: Garrett Waymire and Hugo Lozano from Klein High School, Klein, Texas
• 8^th Place: Gabriel Mastache and John Wilson from James Reese Career and Technical Center in Sugar Land, Texas
• 9^th Place: Dale Mills and Ahmed Esat from James Reese Career and Technical Center in Sugar Land, Texas
• 10^th Place: Anthony Nestor and Ronald De Freitas from James Reese Career and Technical Center in Sugar Land, Texas

For the collision repair and finishing skills competitions, 29 students from seven different schools competed in a written test and four other skills: welding, body filler application, vehicle component identification and spray gun parts identification. The students were given 20 minutes to complete the written test, then rotate through each challenge station; the challenge stations are 10 minutes each.

Max Villegas from Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School (CTHS) in Pasadena, Texas was awarded first place and received a $10,000 UTI tuition grant. Asheley Perez from Stuart Career Technical High School in Baytown, Texas earned second place and received a $7,500 UTI tuition grant. Nathan Ruiz from Blanson CTE High School in Houston, Texas placed third and received a $5,000 UTI tuition grant.

The 4^th – 10^th Place Winners each received a $1,000 UTI tuition grant.

• 4^th Place: Gustavo Cardona from Blanson CTE High School in Houston, Texas
• 5^th Place: Courteney Morton from Lockhart High School in Lockhart, Texas
• 6^th Place: Aaron Brumit from Stuart Career Technical High School in Baytown, Texas
• 7^th Place: Carlos Gutierrez from Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School (CTHS) in Pasadena, Texas
• 8^th Place: Carlos Morales from Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School (CTHS) in Pasadena, Texas
• 9^th Place: Yajaira Meza from Stuart Career Technical High School in Baytown, Texas
• 10^th Place: Mathew Theriot from Splendora High School in Splendora, Texas

“We are incredibly proud of UTI’s Top Tech Challenge and how it rewards students interested in a career in transportation for their skills and knowledge,” commented Darrin Brust, UTI-Houston campus president. “This a great opportunity to showcase what they’re learning. We hope that the interaction with our faculty and other participants, along with competing in our facilities, drives the decision to choose UTI to further develop their technical skills and choose a career in the transportation industry.”

The UTI-Houston campus appreciates the partnership and collaboration with Snap-on Incorporated and for sponsoring prizes for this unique experience, giving participants a platform to meet other students and participate in this great event.

This is just one activity the UTI-Houston campus has planned for 2022. Visit our Events page to view more. To learn more about the school’s training programs or to schedule a tour, please visit https://www.uti.edu/locations/texas/houston. 

About Universal Technical Institute
Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Phoenix, Universal Technical Institute's (NYSE: UTI) mission is to serve our students, partners and communities by providing quality education and support services for in-demand careers. More than 250,000 students have graduated from one of UTI's 15 campuses located across Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Texas. UTI's campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), while its employer-aligned technical training programs are offered under four brands: Universal Technical Institute, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute / Marine Mechanics Institute, NASCAR Technical Institute, and MIAT College of Technology. For more information and a complete list of all programs offered, please visit www.uti.edu or follow on LinkedIn @UniversalTechnicalInstitute or Twitter at @news_UTI.