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Pearland High auto tech students demonstrate shop skills, win UTI Top Tech scholarship and tools
Summary
Students in Pearland ISD’s Pearland High auto tech program demonstrated alignment and repair skills in a school garage segment; two students said they placed first in the UTI Top Tech Challenge and earned a $10,000 scholarship plus about $10,000 in tools.
The Pearland ISD superintendent filmed a segment from the Pearland High School garage praising the district’s auto tech program while students demonstrated vehicle alignment and described their career pathways.
The feature highlighted students Ethan Brown and Hayden Marino of Pearland High School’s auto tech program. Brown said he is doing an automotive practicum that allowed him to take a job at a Ford dealership, and the students described shop work ranging from wheel alignments to motor and transmission swaps. Hayden Marino and a teammate, Evan Kinnipoll, said they placed first in the UTI Top Tech Challenge and received a $10,000 scholarship and roughly $10,000 in tools.
The segment focused on hands-on instruction and industry-standard equipment. Brown explained the four alignment measurements—caster, toe, camber and thrust angle—and demonstrated how electronic sensors mounted to tires feed alignment data into a diagnostic machine. Brown said technicians aim to keep tire angle readings within the machine’s green zone; he identified a typical target range for camber and toe and recommended maintaining about 35 PSI for tire pressure to avoid uneven wear. "I've been around cars all my life. My dad, I grew up with it. He always had cars and I worked on them. It's kind of where my passion came," Brown said.
Marino described specific shop tasks students practice, including motor swaps and transmission work. He said, "Me and my buddy Evan we placed first place," referring to the UTI Top Tech Challenge; the students said the award included a $10,000 scholarship to UTI and approximately $10,000 in tools and a toolbox.
The superintendent — identified in the segment only by title — framed the program as providing real-world experience and equipment comparable to local dealerships. Brown noted the school’s equipment matches what he sees at his Ford dealership employer, and he described leaving campus for work as part of the automotive practicum.
The segment concluded with the students identifying themselves as Ethan Brown and Hayden Marino and inviting viewers to the Pearland High auto tech shop for service or demonstrations.
