How GLCA Students Gain Real World Experience at DeFOUW Chevrolet

The Greater Lafayette Career Academy gives local students a chance to explore future career paths through hands on learning and real world opportunities. This feature highlights senior Ari Rodriguez from McCutcheon High School and their experience in the GLCA automotive program, which includes rotating internships at DeFOUW Chevrolet. Ari’s story reflects how classroom learning, shop skills, and dealership exposure come together to prepare students for the next step in their automotive journey.

Hands On Learning at the Greater Lafayette Career Academy

My name is Ari Rodriguez and I am a senior at McCutcheon High School. I have attended the Greater Lafayette Career Academy for three semesters and it has been an amazing opportunity. Throughout my time in the program I have learned valuable skills that will help me reach my goal of becoming a dealership technician. Interning at a real dealership during school hours gives me a chance to see how a service department works and what a future career might look like.

During the first year in the automotive program, our class split into small groups and built go karts from the ground up. Our teacher, Mr. Locker, guided us through every step. We sketched designs, measured components, fabricated parts, and tested the final builds. The process came with plenty of challenges. My group struggled with the brakes, seat alignment, height, and the front end of the kart.

To fix the brakes, we pulled parts from a scrap kart. The seat bolts would not line up, so we drilled new holes and used longer hardware. When the belly pan scraped the ground, Mr. Locker 3D printed spacers to create more clearance. The nose of the kart still sat too low, so we cut wedges at the front and bent the frame upward. Each challenge pushed us to problem solve, communicate, and think through the next step.

Once the go karts were complete, we competed in time trials, drag races, slalom courses, pit stop challenges, weight tests, and energy efficiency events. Our class held internal competitions before taking the karts to Subaru’s testing track where more than ten schools from across Indiana competed. We handled registration, inspection, and weigh ins. Seeing how other teams approached their builds was inspiring and educational.

Through that process I gained electrical understanding and learned how to weld for the first time. Communication and teamwork became just as important as mechanical skills. Meeting deadlines for the competitions motivated us to keep improving and stay focused.

Moving Into Advanced Skills and Shop Training

After the foundation of go kart engineering, we moved into more advanced systems including steering, suspension, electrical units, and brake systems. Most of the vehicles we worked on in the GLCA shop were Subarus, which gave us experience with both sedans and SUVs. The curriculum combined book work with extensive hands on training, which helped concepts make sense in a practical way. As Mr. Locker often says, “The more times you do it the better you will understand and remember.”

Through this coursework I learned how to operate a vehicle lift and earned a lift certification. I also learned to use a brake lathe, an alignment rack, a tire balancer, and a tire changer. These tools and skills are essential in the technician career path I want to pursue.

So far we have earned dual credits for basic automotive services, electrical, brake systems, steering and suspension, and engine performance. Because these classes are dual credit, the credits can transfer to colleges and universities. We also take ASE practice tests to prepare for the real certification process later on.

Real World Experience at DeFOUW Chevrolet

This year we are interning at DeFOUW Chevrolet on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Each rotation lasts two weeks, which allows us to experience many parts of the dealership. These roles include HR, the collision center, parts, marketing, reconditioning, the BDC, sales, service advisor, and technician work inside the service department.

Seeing each department helps me understand how a dealership operates as a whole. It also helps me figure out which path fits my goals. On Mondays and Wednesdays we stay at the GLCA where we are currently tearing down V8 engines. The goal is to rebuild them, start them, and learn more than what a textbook can show. This mix of classroom instruction, shop experience, and dealership immersion has helped strengthen my skills and confidence.

I know that the opportunities through the GLCA and the hands on training at DeFOUW Chevrolet will give me a strong advantage when I graduate. I feel more confident knowing that I want to work in the automotive industry and that I have already taken steps toward that career. The Career Academy has shaped what I want to pursue after high school and has made a major impact on my future.

Preparing Students for Future Automotive Careers

Programs like the Greater Lafayette Career Academy help students build technical skills, problem solving ability, and confidence. The chance to work inside a dealership like DeFOUW Chevrolet gives students a real world understanding of how service, sales, and operations come together. It also shows how supportive the Lafayette community can be when local businesses and education programs work side by side.

Ari’s story is one example of how hands on learning and community partnerships can help prepare the next generation of automotive professionals.