My grandfather had a rule, ‘if you’re going to drive a car then you should know how to fix it.’ When I graduated high school I attended Niagara College for the Automotive Service Technician program at night, while working at the dealership during the day. As a lifelong car enthusiast, I was able to share my passion for the auto industry with customers, and apply the knowledge from night classes to my job in the day.
Over 20 years ago Christine White started down the path of a career in automotive as a co-op student in high school with a local car dealership. While working at the dealership White wanted to build out her skillset deciding to enrol in the Automotive Service Technician program, one which was largely dominated by males at the time. After graduating from the program White would go on to write and receive her Red Seal and spend 17 years working in various dealerships.
After nearly two decades of working in dealerships White would apply to be a Technical Training Instructor, which would take her away from the automotive floor and into a corporate setting. White would accept the role of Lead Technical Instructor for the Stellantis Performance Institute’s New York Training Center where she would teach automotive technicians how to be better technicians. When asked about her new role White proclaimed, “My hands aren’t as dirty, but I get to share more of my passion for the auto industry with my students more than I have ever been able to do. I leverage my years of experience doing what they do, to help teach in a way that makes sense to them.”