AutoZone^® and TechForce™ Team Up to Celebrate the Rising Stars in our Industry

In a world where technical know-how is essential, but compassion can be sometimes hard to find, a new wave of automotive technicians is proving that success isn’t just about horsepower and torque specs—it’s about heart.

Thanks to a powerful collaboration between the TechForce Foundation—a national nonprofit supporting students in transportation and automotive trades—and ALLDATA’s parent company, AutoZone, the quiet contributions of future technicians are being celebrated through national recognition and scholarships.

Recently, AutoZone and TechForce tasked students across the U.S. with the question, “Tell us about a moment when you felt proud of helping someone. What did that experience teach you about what it means to be a technician people can trust?”

In response, students shared how their experiences reinforced their desire to be a technician and how the lessons they learned transformed their customer service perspective.

The winners each received a gift card, but their work goes beyond financial support. It’s about empowering people to become changemakers in their communities—one transmission, one engine, and one act of service at a time. Here are a few of their stories.

The Camaro That Started With Kindness

This year’s grand prize in the TechForce/AutoZone essay contest went to Ian Gallup, a student at Clover Park Technical College, Lakewood, Wash., who captured the spirit of the technician profession with one simple, selfless act: helping someone who needed it.

Ian had no obligation to help an overwhelmed student struggling to rebuild a TH350 transmission for their 1977 Chevy Camaro. The student wasn’t even in his class. But recalling his own frustration during past rebuilds, Ian saw an opportunity to step up.

“I offered to help—not for credit, not for recognition, just because I’ve been in that spot before,” Ian wrote.

Over several evenings, he and the student carefully tore down the transmission, replaced the clutches, seals and gaskets, and reassembled the intricate internal systems with painstaking precision.

When it finally came time to fire up the engine, nerves were high—but the Camaro roared to life without a leak in sight.

“That first startup was the most nerve-wracking thing we could have felt,” Ian wrote. “But it started amazingly and even drove off without any fluids coming out.”

What Ian learned was more than just mechanical. “Being a great tech isn’t just about knowing how things go together—it’s about passing that knowledge on, building confidence in others, and showing up when it matters. Trust in this field is earned one helping hand at a time, and that night I saw just how much that can mean to someone,” Ian said.

Service Never Stops: From Battlefield to Parking Lot

Steven Lukenbach, also from Clover Park Technical College and one of the contest’s standout runner-ups, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, father of four, and full-time student.

Steven's story took place not in a classroom, but in a gas station parking lot. He noticed a young man struggling under the hood of a truck—clearly stranded and flustered. Steven could have driven by. Instead, he pulled over, introduced himself, and helped fix a loose battery cable and replace a blown fuse using tools from his own kit.

“He thanked me like I had saved his day—and maybe I did,” Steven reflected.

For Steven, the moment brought him back to his time in the Marines, where he worked as a diesel mechanic, supporting convoys and clearing routes in Afghanistan.

“Helping that stranger reminded me that service doesn’t stop when you take off the uniform,” he wrote. “People don’t just need a mechanic—they need someone they can trust to do the right thing.”

It’s a sentiment that underscores why the values of integrity, helpfulness, and customer focus—cornerstones of AutoZone’s mission and key criteria in selecting the winners.

Building Trust, Gear by Gear

For Abigail Bishop, a student at Centralia College, Centralia, Wash., her proudest moment came as one of only two women in a small diesel technician program. With no prior mechanical experience and having returned to college following a 15-year lapse, Abigail said she felt like she was “treading water, trying to keep up with classmates who seemed far more experienced.”

But she persisted and, during a group project involving complex heavy-duty transmissions, she saw an opportunity. When classmates grew confused about power flow and gear ratios, Abigail cautiously shared her understanding. Most of the men in the class ignored her—but the other woman in the class listened. The two teamed up, ran the calculations, and got it right.

Later, when another student challenged her conclusion in front of the instructor, he sided with Abigail and told the classmate, “Next time, listen to her.” For Abigail, that experience taught her that trust is about humility, a willingness to listen and “accuracy, not ego.”

“The pride I felt wasn't just in being right,” Abigail said, “but in successfully helping someone who was willing to listen and collaborate.”

Since then, she’s stripped and rebuilt a Thermo King C201 to running order and taken apart differentials—confidence growing with every turn of a wrench.

“I'm enjoying the learning process and with every mistake or hiccup along the way I learn, and every accomplishment I further my confidence that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be!”

Rebuilding More Than a Mustang

Sometimes, the real work of a technician isn’t just under a hood—it’s in the healing of people. Charles Brabender, a student at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Ore., shared one of the most personal and powerful stories of all.

A family member was spiraling into addiction when Charles gave him a place to stay—with one condition: stay clean. One day, Charles came home to find his brother missing, fearing the worst. But he found him out back in the blackberry bushes, trying to free their late father’s beloved 1965 Mustang—a car that had sat untouched for years.

“At first, it was just about keeping him busy,” Charles wrote. “But over time, the project became a form of therapy.” Together, they worked to restore the Mustang—reviving memories of their father and forming new bonds. The car became a symbol of redemption. “Slowly, I saw his mindset shift. He started to believe in himself again,” Charles said.

Eventually, Charles helped his brother find a job in the automotive industry. Today, he’s over two years sober, with a steady job and his own apartment. “Watching him turn his life around reminded me of the power of second chances and the impact we can have when we invest in others and pay it forward,” Charles said. “That experience not only made me proud—it also reaffirmed why I chose a path in the automotive field.”

The Bigger Picture

Behind every scholarship TechForce and AutoZone award are stories that transcend the traditional image of the technician.

But TechForce can only support one in every seven applicants, despite awarding over $4.2 million in 2024 and budgeting for $6 million in 2025. Students often face unexpected expenses—$500 can be the difference between staying in school and dropping out. Through its “Life Happens” grants and scholarships, TechForce provides a critical safety net, but more help is needed.

“We’re working with over 1,200 high schools and post-secondary programs across the U.S.,” the organization reports. “But the need is growing—and so is the opportunity to make a difference.”

The partnership with AutoZone helps amplify these voices—highlighting how the profession is not just about technical skill, but integrity, community, and resilience.

Representing the future of the automotive industry, these students exemplify what it means to be a technician. They are builders—of engines, of trust, and of second chances. And their stories are just getting started.

To learn more about TechForce Foundation or to donate to support aspiring technicians, visit TechForce.org.