Her Story
About Lily
I started my journey in automotive technology in 2023 when I realized that online college wasn't the best fit for my learning style. I found Truman College right down the street from where I live and discovered their automotive program. At first, I questioned whether it was right for me since I didn't know much about automotive information or how everything was connected. But I realized I liked working with my hands, didn't mind getting dirty, and enjoyed the challenge of hands-on work. I used to build car models from the hobby store when I was younger, so I thought maybe I could put it all together. I started with just a basic certificate, which was five classes, and by the time I was almost finished, I changed it to pursuing my associate's degree. Now I'm about to graduate in May with my associates in automotive technology. Currently, I'm in the Toyota Tech's Elite program through our partnership with Northside Toyota, where I perform brake and tire work, multi-point inspections, cabin and engine air filter checks, oil level checks, and preventative maintenance services. I really got into electrical work, and there was a specific moment in my Electrical One class where we had a vehicle that wouldn't give us the results we needed. My teacher made it our main project to figure out what was going on, and we discovered one of the electrical systems was backfeeding to a different system. That detective work and diagnostic challenge really inspired me and showed me this was what I wanted to do.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lily
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
We're actually seeing a lot more females in the automotive schooling, and I always tell them you're going to have to let go of the nails, the eyelashes. There's going to be times where you're going to have to just kind of accept it, because I've seen females that have started going to Truman for automotive technology and they have the fake nails, and I'm like, they're going to break really quick, because you're dealing with a lot of equipment, with a lot of machinery. And it's not always going to be nice to you.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
You definitely need to have a Zen mode that you have to turn on, because once you get to the job, it's kind of like it's either on or off. You're going to have days where it's just go, go, go all the time, and you're just wanting for a break. But then there's also going to be days where it's just super slow, and you're wishing for those go-go days, because then it just makes the time go by faster. So you definitely need to have a zen moment before you get into the workplace, so that you can kind of prepare yourself mentally for each of those two kinds of days. And also, just being able to keep thinking, this is what you want to do for your career. You've got to constantly keep saying that in your head, and you just got to keep pushing yourself more and more.
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