Dallas College

Student Experience: Rafael Merren

“I had been working on cars with my grandfather since I was four or five years old, and have been in fabrication most of my life. My grandfather suggested that I learned welding at Eastfield. 

“This is a field where if I can dream it, I can draw it and build it. I’m not so good at the drawing part, but I can definitely build: I can mirror reality in whatever shape or fashion it takes. 

“One of the things I’m passionate about is vocational education. I think we need to re-instill it in high schools and back down to grade schools, take an evolutionary leap back into time. Did you know that between 1976 and 1982, the number of vocational and technical programs went down 85%? 

“It’s great to have intelligent capabilities, but if you don’t have the skillsets to back them up, what’s the point of going out into the real world? If you have a practical skill, you can always put bread on the table.”

Rafael Merren has owned Grump’s Rod Shop, a custom fabrication body shop, since 2007 and plans to earn Eastfield’s new Street Rod Fabrication certificate to continue honing his skills. He attended Automotive Technology classes at both Brookhaven and Eastfield, earning an associate degree from Eastfield in 2007 and an additional associate degree in Auto Body Technology from Eastfield in 2009. He is also a licensed private investigator and writer.


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Alonzo Adams

Alonzo L. Adams

Self-Employed Mechanic Adjunct Automotive Technology Faculty Cedar Valley
“I was eager to learn, and the Diesel program really excited me. The more I learned, the more I realize it’s not so hard. All of my instructors have been knowledgeable; any questions I had for them, they were pretty much able to answer everything. These are great courses if you want to work on diesel engines.”
Automotive, Automotive Technology, Automotive Technology - Diesel and Heavy Equipment
Kathryn Jaeger

Kathryn Jaeger

Technician, Trophy Nissan of Mesquite
“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.' Then you learn the basic concepts, and it’s more simplistic than you would think.”
Automotive Technology
Doug Jochum

Doug Jochum

Art Teacher Skyline High School
“The students here are also attentive and helpful — I found out right away that there’s a group of them who have been here a while and who will chip in to help you do anything you don’t understand or help hold something you’re working on. I think that attitude is a reflection of the teaching here as well.”
Welding
Dan Walter

Dan Walter

Owner Energy Efficient Solutions
“I would recommend this program because it gives you a good background in air conditioning. Probably 70% of technicians out there don’t have a good idea of how air conditioning works. They’re taught what to do to make systems work, but they don’t have real understanding of what they’re doing.”
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology
Rafael Merren
Rafael Merren
Owner/Operator Grump’s Rod Shop
Auto Body Technology
School of Manufacturing and Industrial Technology
Updated July 28, 2026