Two western Iowa students recently earned top honors at the 31st annual Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) High School Hand-On Automotive Skills Content. The event was held on Dec. 16 at the Karl Chevrolet Automotive Technology Center at DMACC’s Ankeny Campus. Exira-EHK Senior Joshua Despenas and Kuemper Junior Kyle Sundrup competed as part of the DMACC Carroll Career Academy Team. Carroll Senior Connor Wieland qualified as an alternate. Nearly 300 students from 14 schools measured their automotive knowledge with a 100-question written test to make it into the final competition, which featured just eight teams. The hands-on portion included a 15-minute challenge in eight categories: engine performance, engine repair, electronics, brakes, steering and suspension, automatic transmission, manual drive train, and HVAC. Despenas and Sundrup placed first, receiving a $1,000 DMACC scholarship, a 2023 New York Auto Show trip, and a hefty tool and equipment prize package.
Pictured: Joshua Despenas (left), a senior at Exira-EHK High School, and Kyle Sundrup (right), a junior at Carroll Kuemper High School, focus on a manual drivetrain-related challenge during the 31st Annual DMACC High School Hands-On Automotive Skills Contest on Fri., Dec. 16, at the Karl Chevrolet Automotive Technology Center on the DMACC Ankeny Campus. The duo led the DMACC Carroll Career Academy team to a first-place finish. Photo credit: Lisa Schmitz for DMACC.
