Wyatt Sanders has always enjoyed working with cars and found the opportunity to learn more about it through the Automotive Technology Program at the Paducah Area Technical Center at the Paducah Innovation Hub.
If all goes according to plan, Saunders’ career track will take him to the race track, where he will tackle drag racers and NASCAR racers.
Paducah Tillman High School seniors are Associated General Contractors for this week’s Student of the Week at the Western Kentucky Technical Center. He is in his 3rd year in the Automotive Technology program.
“One of the things I definitely enjoy[in class]is that you can build a career out of it,” he said. “I’m a really big car lover. I love classic American muscle cars and plan to restore them later.
“When I was in middle school, I don’t really know what happened. I’ve always liked cars, and I used to talk to people about cars. Between me, my father, and my grandfather, we talked about the ’69 Camaro Z-28. I think there was something going on, and I started digging deeper into that car and learning more about it, and that sparked my interest in different cars.”
Sanders plans to attend Lincoln Tech in Nashville after graduation.
“I’m going to go through their automotive program and then go through their high performance program,” he said. .”
Sanders will participate in the SkillsUSA program for the second year in a row. Last year he won the regional competition and advanced to the construction tool ID state competition. He participated in Demo A this year and showed the judges the techniques he learned in class.
Cory Polsgrove is Sanders’ automotive technology instructor, who states that Sanders has completed Sections A, B, C, and D and is currently working on a special automotive problem.
“(Sanders) and a few other students are working on a blue Camaro that we have,” he said. I worked on
“We had some electrical wiring issues with the windows, but he was able to track them down. , made it work.”
Polsgrove said Sanders has a knack for tackling problems and determining causes and cures.
“It’s a big part of what we do to solve problems,” says Polsgrove. “He just takes his time, takes it step by step, and can understand anything we throw at him.”
Saunders is a four-year footballer for the Blue Tornado. He works for Lynwood Motors in Paducah. In his spare time, he enjoys working on cars and riding dirt bikes.
Saunders has Certificates of Automotive Service Excellence in automotive braking, automotive maintenance and minor repairs. He is the son of Paul Sanders of Leadland and Tabitha Sanders of Paducah.
Every Friday through March 31st, AGC Student of the Week at the Western Kentucky Technical Center is published in The Paducah Sun. Recipients are selected by instructors and administrators of seven Area Technical Centers serving students in her 13 counties in the westernmost part of the state.
In addition to the Paducah Area Technical Center, 29 AGC students at the Western Kentucky Technical Center this week will attend the Ballard County Career and Technical Center, the Caldwell Regional Career Center, the Four Rivers Career Academy in Fulton County, the Marshall County Technical Center, the Mayfield- Graves County Area Technology Center and Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center.
In addition to automotive technology, the regional technical center offers courses in carpentry, culinary arts, electrical work, machine tool technology, preparatory nursing and welding.
AGC of Western Kentucky will host a banquet for this year’s 29 Technical Center Students of the Week in April. Prizes will be awarded to students, and Technical Center Student of the Year and Regional Technical Center Student of the Year will be announced.
At regional technical centers, students are learning skills in many career areas, joining the workforce after graduation and helping meet the needs of skilled workers in western Kentucky.