Kathryn Jaeger

Kathryn Jaeger started the automotive technology program at Eastfield because she wanted to fix her car, a Nissan Maxima with a check engine light that would not turn off.

“I kept having to bring it back to the mechanic,” she said.  “I wanted to make sure the mechanic was doing the job right. I just did not like the concept of me not knowing.”

Fast forward two years later: Kathryn has graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in automotive technology-service technician and three related certifications. She works as a technician at Trophy Nissan of Mesquite. Kathryn’s words of advice for potential students: Don’t feel intimidated. 

“People look at a car and open the hood and see all the hoses and connections, and maybe think, ‘I am never going to figure this out,’” she said. “Then you learn the basic concepts, and it’s more simplistic than you would think.” 

In the future, Kathryn may leverage her automotive training to study engineering. For now, she’s keeping cars in working order — including her Nissan Maxima. 

“No check engine light,” she said. “It’s good.”

This photo and story originally appeared in The Et Cetera Student Newspaper.

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