THEWIRE

 

By Kimberly Huffman

 

In decades past, women may not have fit in as easily, but this semester three Automotive Technology majors are challenging the idea of an exclusively male industry. Nicolle Leeuwen, from Magnolia; Stephanie Noll, from Laurel; and Heather Morrow, from Delmar are challenging cultural gender roles simply by doing what they love.

Stereotypically, these Delaware Technical Community College students would be tomboys, but that appears to not be the case. 

 

Leeuwen is a ballerina who loves the color pink but also happens to enjoy working on Mustangs. 

 

“I changed my major quite a few times and then all of a sudden I was like ‘I’ve always loved cars, I always had a passion for them. I’m just gonna go for it,’” she said. ”I’ve never been so eager to go to school.” 

 

Noll’s personality and hobbies also break conventions.

 

 “I love to go out and dance. I love to dress up, I love wearing 5-inch heels and dresses. That’s my thing,” she said. “But I ride horses, I hunt, I do all that kind of stuff. And I play with cars.” 

 

Morrow has a full-time job as a server, goes to school, and still manages to have time for other activities. 

 

“I’m completely unconventional. We rescue and retrain and rehome pit bulls.” she said, “It’s rewarding. I do things that actually have good payback.”

Going against gender roles is nothing new to Noll or Morrow. 

 

Noll ran the parts and rental departments of an equipment company, and Morrow worked as a welder. 

 

Noll would often be told by customers that she was too pretty for the job, or that she should be working in an office. When she would go to an auto parts store, associates wouldn’t take her seriously. 

 

“Part of why I’m doing this is so when they say I don’t know what I’m doing I can say ‘oh yes I do, and here’s my patch that can tell you that,” Noll said.

 

Twenty years ago, Morrow said, no one on the shore would hire a female welder. She had to work in Baltimore for two years before she was offered employment in Delaware. When she would get job offers, most companies were concerned about her comfort around a male crew.

 

“You feel the same uncomfortableness as anyone starting a new job,” Morrow said. “You’re the new guy on the crew, you’re the new girl on the crew: it doesn’t matter.”

 

This semester was the first for all three women, and although being one of three in a male-dominated environment could be intimidating, it didn’t faze them.

Leeuwen grew up with four brothers, and studied Building and Construction at Polytech. 

 

“I was the only girl there and it never bothered me. I’m kinda used to it,” she said.

 

Morrow said being one of the only women doesn’t mean that you should look at yourself that way. 

 

“You have to be a positive member of that crew and a functioning member of that crew,” she said. “You can’t do that if you constantly separate yourself.”

 

Noll said, “You’ve gotta be able to know you’re in an environment, in an element that is more male-dominated, whatever you want to call it. And you gotta be able to just roll with it.”

 

The Automotive Technology Department is held to national standards and has a good employment rate, with most students getting jobs in their field before or after graduation. 

 

Hands-on experience is offered by a program in which the department offers parts-only pricing on auto maintenance to students. 

 

Last year, the department worked on 25 to 30 student vehicles, Automotive Technology Chairman Huey West said. 

 

The department usually gets one or two females every semester. A female graduate from last year is now working at a dealership in Oklahoma, West said.

 

Noll pointed out that new technology may usher in a new wave of female workers in the field, as more of the work is computerized and analytical. She also said that not everyone who graduates from the program will be a technician or work at a dealership. Her goal is to own her own shop. 

 

 “I’ve gotten a lot of negative comments, ‘why are you doing that’,’ shouldn’t you be doing something else?’  No. if you have your heart set, go for it,” Leeuwen said.

 

“I always wanted to learn how to work on vehicles. If it’s what you wanna do and you enjoy it, and you have an interest, then do it,” Morrow said. “Don’t let anybody stop you, what’s the worst thing that will happen, you’ll stand in a shop full of men? You know, that could be a good thing for most girls. Who doesn’t want to be the only girl in the room?”