Students earn 3rd place, $2,500 scholarships in PAA competition

Congratulations to North Hills senior Parker Geiger and Pine-Richland senior Nathan Bateman who recently placed third in the Pennsylvania Automotive Association competition in Hershey, PA!

They were each awarded a $2,500 scholarship and tools for their third place finish.

“It was kind of surreal to hear them announce us in third place because you have no clue how other teams are doing along the way.” Nathan said. “I felt honored to be able to do this. When I first heard about this type of competition I never thought I’d be the one going. It’s also cool to know the education I’ve had is paying off.”

Parker and Nathan, who participate in A.W. Beattie’s Automotive Technology program, competed against students from across Pennsylvania.

“It feels pretty good, and I felt like we did well especially since we didn’t know each other,” Parker said. “I enjoyed the experience.”

Each separately took a written test before collaborating on a hands-on portion of the competition that included a Toyota Corolla Pre-Delivery Inspection with a check engine light on. There were five things wrong with the vehicle that they had to identify. They also went to stations to test their knowledge of alignment, wave forms, precision measuring, brake diagnosis, and electric circuit board measurements.

“We had about an hour to work on the car and 15 minutes at each station,” Parker said. “Some of the stations got tricky because of the limited time you have.”

“It was an interesting and fun experience that helped me learn what I needed to work on,” Nathan added. “Some of it was difficult, but overall it was a great experience.”

Nathan plans to attend Ohio Technical College for Heavy Diesel Technology and work in the field as a technician on Heavy Diesel motors. Parker plans to work at Schultz Ford and attend CCAC.