Dallas College

Student Experience: Rodney Hinkle

“A few months out of high school, I found out about the motorcycle, small-engine and marine courses offered at Cedar Valley. In my early childhood, my father had a custom bike-building shop, which allowed me to become familiar with repairing bikes. I also took a small engine class in school, which helped equip me with the skills I needed to repair small engines. 

“I felt it would be to my benefit to take the marine course offered at Cedar Valley since I enjoyed being around the outdoors and water as well. After completing the course, I received a certificate on Evinrude/Johnson outboard engines. I was able to get a job quickly at the marina Texas Hydro Sports, where I repaired personal watercraft for 10 years and also attended Sea-Doo courses that allowed me to become certified in Sea-Doo repair. 

“I was ready to move on to a more challenging career and took a position at Kawasaki City of Dallas. I have been with Kawasaki City for 11 years now, and in my job, I repair personal watercraft, motorcycles and ATVs. I have also received several Kawasaki certificates as well. 

“I truly believe that I am where I am today because of the basic skills I acquired at Cedar Valley 21 years ago to launch my career.”  Rodney Hinkle earned a certificate in Marine Technology from Cedar Valley.


Read More

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
Rafael Merren

Rafael Merren

Owner/Operator Grump’s Rod Shop
“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.”
Auto Body Technology
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
Rodney Hinkle
Rodney Hinkle
Service Technician, Kawasaki City
Automotive Technology
School of Manufacturing and Industrial Technology
Updated July 28, 2026