Australian Jennifer Weis earned a bachelor’s degree in science and worked as a research assistant and teacher before taking a sharp career turn to automotive service.
Originally from Sydney, Weis met her husband, Derick, at Monash University in Melbourne, where he was placed by the National Science Foundation (NSF). She worked at a desk nearby, and their relationship bloomed. When NSF placed him at the University of Alabama, Weis had her visa processed.
Her husband later took a job at a Murfreesboro, Tenn., manufacturing plant, and she enrolled in the automotive technology program at Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT). Weis had always dreamed of working on cars and knew she could find employment. A career in research wouldn’t offer such stable opportunities.
“Now I feel like I could get employed in any town, city in the whole country and back home, too,” she explains.
As a SkillsUSA member at TCAT, Weis earned her way to nationals as a college/postsecondary Automotive Service Technology contestant, placing sixth. She graduated in August and is now working full time for Firestone, where she worked as a co-op student.
