Spencer Ramos

Associate of Applied Science in Automotive Service Technology

Spencer Ramos grew up in California before moving to Tennessee when he was 21 years old. Not knowing what he wanted to pursue as a career, Ramos enrolled in college and began taking courses. During this time, he worked a series of sales jobs. After meeting his wife, the couple decided to move to Spokane, Washington to be closer to family. In Spokane, Ramos worked as a car salesperson and began to realize what he wanted for his future.

“The last sales job I had was selling cars,” Ramos stated. “I began to notice that the only happy people at dealerships were the mechanics. I realized that I wanted to work on cars,” he continued.

After his wife completed her master’s degree and was hired to teach at Yakima Valley College, the couple and their family relocated to Yakima and Ramos began looking into the area’s automotive programs. After doing a little research and speaking with others, he settled on YVC’s program.

“YVC’s program has been fun. I came into the program knowing nothing about how cars work. Being in a technical program is nice because you get to have class with the same group of students throughout your coursework. All of AST instructors have real-world experience and want you to succeed. I’ve been in classes with over 150 students before where you’ve been unable to ask any questions. YVC’s program allows for one-on-one questions with instructors. I’ve gained so much knowledge since starting this program. It’s really cool to see that the program works,” he continued.

Outside the classroom, Ramos has served as President of the Hotwire Automotive club for the past two years. He has also competed and earned medals during the regional and statewide SkillsUSA competitions. Ramos is also one of three YVC students who will travel to Louisville, Kentucky in June to complete in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference. SkillsUSA is an applied method of instruction for preparing America’s high performance workers in public career and technical programs. It provides quality educational experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. He will complete in the Job Demonstration Open Speech category, where his presentation will be “How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube.” He also serves as part of the state leadership for SkillsUSA.

Ramos graduates this June with an associate of applied science degree in automotive service technology. He is currently applying and interviewing for positions and hopes to begin work as an automotive service technician. He also plans to spend time with family.