Breena spent nearly 30 years working hard in restaurant management, chasing someone else's dream. Now, at 42, this Spokane Community College student maintains Honor Roll status in her Auto Collision program while attending welding classes at night, proving that it's never too late to pursue work you genuinely enjoy.

Motor Age is partnering with TechForce Foundation to share profiles and perspectives of student automotive technicians. These students were asked about their experience working while in school.

Finding Strength in a Different Way

It took Breena 23 years to return to school. "I struggled academically growing up due to a learning disability and ADHD. I was placed in special education through high school, which made traditional learning intimidating and delayed my decision to pursue higher education."

But while academics proved difficult, Breena discovered early that she excelled in different ways. "Working with my hands has always come naturally to me. Building, repairing, and creating have always been my strengths."

Chasing Someone Else's Dream

For nearly three decades, she applied that work ethic to restaurant management. The work was hard, but something was missing. "I was chasing someone else's dream," Breena explains. "My partner encouraged me to take a chance on myself and enroll in college, and that decision changed everything."

Returning to school has proven what she once believed impossible. "I belong here."

Building Skills, Building Confidence

Breena is completing an Associate of Applied Science in Auto Collision, with one remaining technical writing course to finish by year's end. But she didn't stop there. She's also enrolled at Spokane Community College in the welding program, attending night classes to deepen her understanding of blueprint reading and metal fabrication.

"Welding has given me a deeper understanding of how parts are built, not just repaired," she shares. The welding training aligns perfectly with her lifelong interests. "It connects with my love of metalwork, cars, and building motorcycles, especially Harleys."

Balancing the collision program with welding night classes requires serious time management, but Breena has maintained Honor Roll status throughout her Auto Collision program. Her academic success stands in stark contrast to the struggles she faced growing up, proving that traditional classroom settings don't always reflect someone's true capabilities.

A First-Generation College Student

As a first-generation college student and first-time high school graduate, Breena brings a unique perspective to her education. Her path has been full of obstacles, but those challenges built the qualities that make her successful now. "I bring a strong work ethic, persistence, and pride in my craft."

The combination of collision repair and welding training creates versatility that sets Breena apart. Understanding metal fabrication from the welding perspective enhances her collision repair skills, while collision training informs her welding work. The two disciplines reinforce each other, building comprehensive knowledge that employers value.

Thriving, Not Just Surviving

Breena's motivation is clear and personal. "Today, I am excited and motivated to build a future doing work I genuinely enjoy, not just surviving, but thriving."

She's looking for an apprenticeship in the collision field, ready to apply her classroom learning and hands-on training in a professional shop environment. The apprenticeship would allow her to earn while continuing to develop the skills that will define her career.

Bringing Adult Perspective

Students who return to education as adults often bring maturity, focus, and appreciation that younger students are still developing. Breena's decades in restaurant management taught her customer service, time management under pressure, and how to maintain quality standards during busy periods. Those skills transfer directly to collision repair, where customer communication and deadline management matter as much as technical ability.

Her story challenges assumptions about who belongs in technical education and when that education should happen. Learning disabilities and special education placement didn't determine Breena's capabilities. They simply meant traditional academic settings weren't designed for how she learns best. Working with her hands, building and repairing, she discovered her true strengths.

"My path has been full of obstacles," Breena acknowledges. But those obstacles didn't stop her. They delayed her, redirected her, and made the journey harder. When she finally found the right path, supported by her partner's encouragement and her own determination, she excelled.

Breena proves that 23 years away from education doesn't mean you've lost your ability to learn. It might mean you've finally found what you were meant to learn. At 42, she's not starting over. She's starting right.

Support the Next Generation

TechForce receives more than 12,000 applications from students with deep financial need each year. In 2025 alone, TechForce awarded over $6 million in scholarships and grants. While this is an impressive sum of awards, it's still only awarding 1 in every 6 applicants. We need more donations to help more students obtain the technical training required to be workforce ready.