Hoffman Estates, Ill. (November 2024) –
The collision repair industry offers a vast array of career opportunities for those interested in the field, though not all young people realize the variety of options at their fingertips. The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) seeks to highlight the many different choices available by its multitude of endeavor, including participating in industry events, hosting career fairs and funding scholarships to help students pursue their education. That support can be vital for aspiring collision professionals who may not receive encouragement from other areas of their lives.
Christina Sepulveda was the youngest of three children born to parents whose increasingly severe disabilities made it difficult for them to earn incomes that did anything more than allow their family to scrape by. Her parents separated when she was quite young, and Sepulveda lived with her father, who had been a talented woodworker and repairman before his health deteriorated. “The greatest gift he ever gave me was teaching me those different hands-on skills,” she shares.
When she was a teenager, Sepulveda and her father moved to Florida where she attended Middleburg High School and enrolled in advanced health classes; caring for her father had inspired her to become a doctor, and she was “on the trajectory of obtaining my nursing assistant certificate before graduating;” however, she also began to realize just how much of a commitment would be necessary to pursue the medical field – both in terms of the time it would take as well as the cost of attending eight or more years of college, which would leave her in extreme debt – and began to contemplate a career change.
During her junior year, Sepulveda occasionally walked a friend to his collision repair and refinishing class after lunch. “I eventually got to speak with the instructor, Mr. Delp, regarding what the class involved, and after a few discussions throughout the year, I decided to add the class to my senior year schedule and joined SkillsUSA,” she recalls. “Although my father disapproved because he did not see the potential of a suitable career in collision repair, I knew that if I wanted to get further education past high school, I needed to fund it myself and look at available scholarships. It made sense for me to obtain a career that I would be able to start after a little over a year of formal education and not be outrageously in debt while I worked and continued to learn.”
Still, obtaining that education would require a monetary investment, and without financial support from her family, Sepulveda began searching for scholarships that would help her fund her dream and came across an application for CREF’s Student Scholarship and Tool Grants. She applied and was awarded a 2011 Craftsman Tool Grant, through which she received a 268-piece mechanic tool set along with a lift-top lid case, Microtork torque wrench and 10-drawer ball-bearing tool chest. “CREF made it possible to remove some of the fear and gain confidence going through with my decision to enter the realm of collision repair. The Craftsman Tool Grant gave a boost of reassurance that I could do it by already having tools in hand verses having to invest while paying the school loans along with other bills and slowly acquiring them. CREF’s support aided my education since, if a tool was already rented out, I didn’t need to wait to continue work as I likely had it in my toolbox.”
In the Fall of 2011, Sepulveda enrolled at Nashville Auto Diesel College (NADC) with the goal of becoming a custom automotive painter and eventually owning her own shop, and fortunately, she obtained a work-study gig in the school’s financial aid office, allowing her to earn the remainder of her tuition. “My time at NADC was pleasant, and I excelled in the classes. I appreciated that there was shop time, where I was taught a variety of aspects from protecting and handling metal, to welding, refinishing and even how to navigate estimating systems. It gave a good layer of understanding so that I could a have head start when working at a shop and figure out which avenue I wanted to go through.”
Upon applying for additional scholarships to fund her remaining education at NADC, Sepulveda “was awarded the 2012 ABRA Auto Body & Glass Tool Grant through CREF, which led to me connecting with the ABRA Auto Body & Glass’ national recruiter and their Regional Vice President.” She graduated with honors, receiving the Presidential Award upon commencement. After graduating, she accepted a job as a buffer for ADESA Auto Auctions; however, she stayed in contact with the recruiter at ABRA.
A few months later, she received a call that ABRA had an open position for a customer service representative. Although the role wasn’t exactly what she wanted, “I knew it was a steppingstone to my career with a good company, even if I wasn’t going to be a painter – yet. My career blossomed from there. I ended up advancing my skills in estimatics and blueprinting as a Customer Service Manager to a point I had a role assisting the Regional Manager with the ten shops in the Nashville area, which led me to decide that I wanted to go back to a dedicated shop where I wanted to learn production management, handle the quality control and dive into the financials for the business; however, my advancement didn’t stop there.
“I was offered a position where I would advance to working with the Regional Vice President for the state of Tennessee and learned parts management along the way,” Sepulveda continues. “When ABRA and Caliber merged in 2019, I took a position where I was traveling across the nation every week to teach the standard operating procedures for the newly acquired shops.”
By the end of 2022, Sepulveda had started to search for a change that would present new challenges and a better work-life balance – and that’s when an exciting new opportunity presented itself. “Due to my extensive career experience in the collision industry, David Willett with SPARK Underwriters approached me with the offer to learn the world of automotive repair business insurance, and I have since became a licensed insurance producer where I manage service for our automotive repair businesses. Since joining SPARK Underwriters, I have been challenged in new ways, and the company has invested in my professional development repeatedly. I have been able to obtain my I-CAR Platinum certifications, join committees and attend conferences I didn’t even know existed.”
Over the past 13 years, Sepulveda has enjoyed the numerous experiences at her disposal within the industry. “I would have never initially envisioned how many possibilities were out there in collision repair, and I would not change a single experience which led me down this career path.”
And she’s grateful to the many mentors, friends and organizations that made it all possible, including the Foundation. “CREF directly enabled my career to be successful by not only having tools readily accessible but by also providing an avenue which helped me to obtain a job in collision repair shortly after graduating.”
So, what’s next for Sepulveda? “I have no earthly idea what my ultimate career goal is now, as my initial career goal was surpassed a long time ago, and I am enjoying experiencing the opportunities out there in the industry.”
In fact, there’s only one opportunity that she regrets missing out on early in her career. “About a decade ago, CREF offered me a complimentary ticket to attend SEMA, but I couldn’t afford the airfare at the time, so I passed; however, I will be attending my first SEMA Show in 2024 with my SPARK Underwriters team and have been invited to be a panelist!”
Talk about opportunities! The collision industry offers plenty of other options for anyone who is motivated to explore all those opportunities, and the Foundation wants to help ensure every collision student is equipped to take advantage of everything this amazing career path can provide for their futures. CREF’s 2025 Student Scholarship and Tool Grant applications will open January 8 with a deadline of March 6. Learn more at collisionrepaireducationfoundation.org/students-scholarships.
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist secondary and post-secondary collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online.
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The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation, visit us online at: www.CollisionRepairEducationFoundation.org.
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If you would like more information about this topic or any of CREF’s initiatives, please email info@ed-foundation.org.