Twenty-one-year-old Melissa Scheuerman used her recent Fox Valley Technical College degree to turn her love of hot rod cars into a professional career. The Neenah resident graduated from FVTC’s Auto Collision Repair & Refinishing Technician program just last spring. Today, she is already working as a painter’s helper on her way to becoming an industrial painter at Pierce Manufacturing, one of the world’s leading fire truck production companies.

Designing and building fire engines requires strict quality regulations. “My job of cleaning and masking the surfaces is a vital first step in the finishing process,” Scheuerman says. “The hands-on learning at Fox Valley Tech was awesome, and it really helped prepare me for a job that I love!”

The first in her family to go to college, Scheuerman received a $5,000 scholarship while at FVTC from I-CAR, the leading training organization for the collision industry. She also won first place at state and came in 7th nationally at the annual SkillsUSA competitions out of nearly 70 colleges and universities nationwide that participate each year.

“My father, who is a member of the Muscle Maniacs Car Club, is very proud of me,” she states. “I’m showing him the right way to paint his ’69 Road Runner.”

Quick Fact: 100% graduate employment 6 years running for graduates of FVTC’s Auto Collision Repair & Refinishing Technician program