• MHCC Student Headed to National Automotive Skills Competition

    Trevor Enquist won a Gold Medal in March for his performance at SkillsUSA's Oregon competition. In June, he'll head to SkillsUSA nationals in Kentucky.When Trevor Enquist graduates from the Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) program at Mt. Hood Community College this June, he'll be two weeks away from representing the college on the national stage at the 55th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Louisville, Kentucky.

    Enquist recently won a Gold Medal – and first place – in the Automotive Technology category, higher education division, at the SkillsUSA Oregon State Leadership and Skills Conference held at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas. At the statewide competition held March 15 – 16, he and more than 700 other students from 45 Oregon high schools and post-secondary schools competed in a variety of trades, including carpentry, cosmetology, electronics technology, and photography.

    In the Automotive Technology category, Enquist completed skills assessments in several areas of automotive diagnostic, maintenance and repair encompassing vehicle brakes, electrical, transmissions, alignment, engine repair and other systems. Enquist said that NLSC will include more "hands-on labs," such as rebuilding various automotive components.

    "I'll be going up against some of the best Automotive students in the country," said Enquist, "so I plan to bring my best."

    Enquist, who currently interns at Damerow Ford in Beaverton, said he began participating in SkillsUSA when in high school in the Beaverton area.

    "It was a fun activity, and it really let me practice my automotive curriculum," Enquist added.

    During NLSC, held June 24 – 28, he will join more than 6,000 other career and technical education students – all of them state contest winners. Nationals will include 103 different trade, technical and leadership categories.