By Emmy Trivette, Editor-in-Chief

While there are high school students who’d rather take notes and watch videos in a school day, many others would much rather be in classrooms with paints and brushes, or whisks and spatulas in hand.

But what about a wrench? Or maybe an oil can?

“If a car’s broken, then you get to figure out what’s wrong with it and then fix it,” senior Myles Sillies said with a grin. “Then if something’s broken on your own car, you don’t have to pay someone else to do it.”

Though some students may not understand the appeal of mechanics or an education in the automotive industry, four First Flight interns are taking advantage of a hands-on learning experience in “the shop” this year.  

“When I was younger, I wanted to be an architect. I used to build stuff all the time,” senior Zack Norris said. “Then when I started working on vehicles by myself, I started to realize more and more that I like to work with my hands – I don’t learn sitting down. I learn hands-on.”

Since the age of 5, Norris has been helping out his father with the engines of trucks, boats and cars in the family auto shop, which Norris hopes to run someday. 

While Norris did briefly dream of being an architect, it was his internship working at Coastal Fast Lube which helped him realize that his future was in the family business. 

“There’s a big demand,” Norris said. “People will always need help having their vehicles repaired.”

And without these opportunities at their disposal, none of these interns would truly understand the equipment and work ethic needed to run a shop.

For senior Eli Mercer, this means understanding everything in a mechanic’s space, from the hundreds of tools lining the shelves to the hundreds of people walking in and out of a garage similar to one he hopes to own in the future.

“If it wasn’t for that internship, I wouldn’t be able to actually do what a mechanic would do,” Mercer said.

When he began his internship, Mercer was driving to Beach Ready Auto in Point Harbor in a 1990 Jeep Wrangler. But after showing interest in a beat-up 1999 Toyota 4Runner SR5, his employer gave him the “messed up” Toyota.

There was just one catch: Mercer had to fix it himself.

“They gave it to me as a gift for all my hard work, but the only catch was that I had to do all the repairs myself. It was like $1,200 to fix it,” Mercer said. 

But now, after Beach Ready shoved him right into independent work, Mercer feels much more comfortable around the shop and looks forward to jumping into trade school after he graduates.  

Mercer plans to attend the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) for his associate’s degree in Auto-Tech and Heavy Diesel. Similarly, Sillies, who interns at Bayside Body Shop in Kill Devil Hills, also plans to attend ATI next fall for his associate’s degree in Auto-Tech. 

“I don’t like ‘school, school,’ ” Sillies said. “So, instead of going to school for English and math again, I can just start working and hopefully get my own business one day.” 

First Flight, like most public schools, is a core curriculum-based high school. While there are plenty of science, English, math and history classes offered, these interns recognize that Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes can occasionally be neglected.  

“Some kids learn better different ways,” Norris said. “I feel like it would be better if they offered a lot more hands-on classes.”

This is why Mercer, Norris, Sillies and senior Luke Ash – who interns with the Meineke Car Care Center in Kill Devil Hills – take advantage of these internship opportunities.  

“I just like working with my hands, and a car is like a big puzzle,” Ash said. “I never really had any hands-on shop experience like I do now.”

Ash plans to attend Pitt Community College to receive a degree in welding, and he hopes to also earn all of his ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certifications in order to open his own business. 

These students’ eagerness at being immersed in the automotive world speaks volumes to the effectiveness of First Flight’s internship program. 

“When I’m there, time flies by and I’m always having fun,” Sillies said.  “I mean, I could just be there all day without a problem.”

Senior Emmy Trivette can be reached at trivetteem0626@daretolearn.org.