Partnerships
Automotive Students Fueled by Advance Auto Parts Scholarships
Raleigh, NC (October 24, 2025) – Five Wake County high school graduates are driving toward a career in the automotive industry. The students are training to become skilled automotive technicians, thanks to a scholarship from the Advance Auto Parts Foundation.
The Advance Auto Parts Foundation Future Technicians Scholarships Program aims to address the shortage of technicians in the Wake County area. The students are enrolled in the Automotive Systems Technology degree program offered at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence on the Scott Northern Wake Campus.
The scholarship recipients were nominated by their high school guidance counselors and selected by Wake Tech earlier this year. They each receive a $5,000 unrestricted scholarship to offset educational and living expenses and a one-time stipend of $600 for tools to complete their studies.
This year's scholarship recipients are:
- Kevin Cohen Bencomo, Knightdale High School
Nomination excerpt: "During my time with Kevin in the Juntos program, I have seen him grow tremendously as a student. Every time I see him, he is trying his absolute hardest to use any resource or opportunity that is given to him. This past summer, he attended the C.A.R.S. camp at the Hendrick Center, and his eyes were opened to the possibilities of his future at Wake Tech."
- Edwin Ariel Cruz-Perez, Southeast Raleigh High School
Nomination excerpt: "Edwin has shown passion in the automotive industry. He has taken several classes and has been very motivated to pursue a career as a mechanic. He has shown tremendous growth in his senior year with a motivation to graduate and start school at Wake Tech."
- Jaylen Keshawn Hannah, East Wake High School
Nomination excerpt: "Jaylen will be the first in his family to attend college. While he does not have much guidance, he is willing to learn the process. He has been tenacious with his desire to go to automotive school but has been concerned about how he would pay for it. He is a shy young man, but when you get to know him, you quickly learn his passion. I believe he is deserving and would work hard in the industry."
- Cristian "CeeJay" Quarles, Apex High School
Nomination excerpt: "I have known CeeJay since he transferred to Apex High during his 9th-grade year and have enjoyed watching his growth over the years. Having seen him in our automotive classroom, I know that working on cars is his passion. CeeJay has an innate ability to diagnose cars (He shared his thoughts on a complicated issue with my own vehicle, and it was the correct diagnosis when I visited the dealership for the repair!), and he is eager to learn all that he can regarding automotive repair and maintenance."
- Braeley "Jordan" Siler, Wakefield High School
Nomination excerpt: "Jordan currently works at Jiffy Lube and is very excited and passionate about being part of the automotive industry. She is incredibly hard-working and has attended several Wake Tech events for future automotive students. She was hoping to get into one of the apprenticeship programs, but would be fantastic for this opportunity as well."
The Advance Auto Parts Foundation supports five Wake Tech automotive students each year. Its original donation of $250,000 included scholarships, tools and equipment for DieHard tool rooms in the Hendrick Center. Advance Auto Parts recently made another $10,000 contribution, strengthening its commitment to the college. Wake Tech serves about 500 students in its Automotive Systems Technology and Collision Repair & Refinishing Technology degree programs.
"Support from the Advance Auto Parts Foundation enables us to directly address the shortage in the automotive technician workforce," said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. "We're extremely grateful to the Advance Auto Parts Foundation for its partnership in awarding these scholarships and appreciate its support of our programs."
The Advance Auto Parts Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Advance Auto Parts Inc., a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider that serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers.
