My name is Andrew Watkins-Blackshear. I am an automotive student of Crawford IDEA High School’s graduating class of 2011. I would like to major in mechanical engineering.
My dream job is to become the mechanical engineer for a racing team. I have a highly intuitive background in automotive technology. Additionally, I have experience working and interning in automobile dealerships and a racing garage. I aspire to pursue a career in automobile engine manufacturing and tuning with an automobile manufacturer or a professional automobile racing team.
My commitment to pursuing a mechanical engineering degree has been enhanced by my internship at Mercedes-Benz of San Diego in March 2010. The internship at Mercedes-Benz gave me hands-on experience working in a service area in a dealership and I gained insight as to what to expect were I to pursue that path in my future. The majority of the technicians working at the Mercedes-Benz dealership have only industry specific automotive certificates. I believe that a degree in mechanical engineering will give me significantly more understanding and depth of automotive technology. My most recent internship with Norman Motorsports has provided me with additional hands-on technical experience and the opportunity to observing how an off-road racing team prepares for a professional race. I hope that eventually I will have the knowledge and skills to engineer the parts used in professional racing and improve the performance and efficiency of the vehicles.
One of the main reasons I want to engineer parts for motorsports is because I love being a part of a team that works together, and I would love to incorporate a strong education in mechanical engineering with my passion for cars and motorsports. I have been the “shining star” in my automotive class for the past two years. I transferred to my current school in the San Diego district because it has an outstanding automotive program. My automotive instructor, Carl Kingsbury, has channeled my strong passion and desire to work on cars towards many new opportunities and experiences which have both challenged and enriched me. Under his instruction I believe that I have a solid basic automotive education and I am proud of my automotive courses 4.0 GPA and my overall 10-12 grade 3.81 GPA. During that same academic period I also participated in an internship at a dealership and at a racing company.
This past October I was honored to have the opportunity to speak in front of NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, at an event attended by over 200 millionaires, to thank him for the grant from the Jimmie Johnson Foundation to Crawford High School that enabled the automobile class to build a Small Block Chevy. This past week I was a member of Crawford’s team in the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge in Torrance, CA. Our team of five students competed against other high schools in a timed event to disassemble and rebuild a GM 350 engine. This challenge placed me in a fast paced environment, utilizing my automotive knowledge, hands on skills, and communication skills in a competitive environment.
I truly have the desires and goals of becoming a mechanical engineer with an eventual career in automobile engine manufacturing and tuning with an automobile manufacturer or a professional automobile racing team. My passion and determination is what drives me to continue looking forward into my strong future.
Andrew Watkins-Blackshear
Photo by William Curry
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