The Bridgestone/Firestone trust fund donated $5000 to OCCC during the spring 2015 semester in an effort to promote scholarship distribution to attract more students to the automotive service career field.

The goal with the scholarship money distribution is to give students a little bit less to worry about financially, said Brad Walker, Transportation Technology chair and Automotive Technology professor.

The donation is especially appreciated in a field like Automotive Technology because it tends to be a little bit more expensive, he said.

The money also supports OCCC’s Automotive Technology program, supplying things such as lifts, alignment racks, and batteries, he said.

Bridgestone/Firestone has been partnered with OCCC for a decade.

“At least 10 years, and they hire a lot of our students,” Walker said.
Ken Powers and Mike Samson, area managers for Firestone, and Preston Brown is the Firestone store manager on May Avenue.

“[They are] key providers who send us students currently employed at Firestone,” Walker said.

The Automotive Technology program at OCCC offers daytime and nighttime classes, and has around 60 students currently enrolled.

For more information about the Automotive Technology program, contact Walker by email bwalker@occc.edu or by phone at 405-682-7128.

To contact Spencer Grant,email onlinewriter@occc.edu