I-CAR Scholarship Presented to Lincoln Student

The Collision Industry Conference (CIC) held this April in Nashville, Tennessee was a great day for Lincoln Tech student Zaccheus Stephens. During the conference, Zac was awarded a Nashville I-CAR scholarship of $14,000. Behind the scenes, it was revealed that I-CAR (the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) was originally going to award two $7,000 scholarships, but they were so impressed with Zac, they awarded him the entire scholarship amount. According to I-CAR Chairman, Kyle Medeiros, when presenting the scholarship to Zac, “The check will cover every dollar of your student loans.”

How a Lincoln Tech Student Made an Impact on Industry Experts and earned an I-CAR Scholarship

Zac is studying Collision Repair & Refinishing at Lincoln Tech’s Nashville campus. After graduating, he has plans to work at CarMax Rivergate, but hopes to open his own body shop one day. Jason Black, one of Zac’s instructors at Lincoln Tech, and a Nashville Auto Diesel College (NADC) graduate himself, was very impressed with Zac right from the start. “I think the biggest thing that sets Zac Stephens apart from the rest of the class is his attitude. He always has a positive attitude and truly enjoys what he is doing here at the school. He is willing to do anything in class that is asked of him and will give you 100 percent.”

Kyle Medeiros also recalls that Zac wrote in his qualifying essay, “When I become the most trusted in the business, you will be content in knowing that you helped me get there.” Helping students like Zac with a generous I-CAR scholarship is just one example of how industry insiders are working together to promote collision repair careers.

I-CAR and Lincoln Tech are Committed to Making Collision “Cool”

Lincoln Tech has partnered with I-CAR for years. Several Lincoln Tech campuses are Fixed Training Sites for I-CAR’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. In addition, I-CAR’s Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) has presented I-CAR scholarships to Lincoln Tech students in the past. All parties involved have the same goal – to encourage more people to pursue careers in Collision Repair. In a recent Repairer Driven News (RDN) article, CREF trustee Kevin Holt explained that, “The collision repair industry needs to add 17,200 technicians annually, just to stay level.”

Lincoln Tech is determined to help bridge the skills gap in this industry by making its Collison Repair & Refinishing training program more enticing. One way is to show prospective students that Collision Repair is an ideal career for somebody who wants to combine hands-on skills and artistic talents. Lincoln Tech’s Collision program also offers a convenient Blended Learning option, giving students the opportunity to complete some coursework from home.

If you have big dreams of working on cars – and making an impact in an industry that is in great need of highly skilled, professionally trained candidates – reach out to a Lincoln Tech campus near you!