When you visit the car shop, you will more than likely see a team of all men hard at work with their wrenches and jacks.

But one local student, Kim Broyles, is chasing a dream to work on cars for a living, and she is not letting the fact that she is a woman discourage her.

“I’ve always loved it.” Broyles said. “I like being able to put stuff together, so it’s kind of the right program for me.”

Broyles is a student with the automotive technology program at New River Community and Technical College. She said she enjoyed her two year journey and loves the knowledge she gained along the way.

“We start at the basics, learning tools and stuff like that and now we’re completely taking motors out of cars and putting it back in,” Broyles explained.

During her studies, Broyles not only mastered the curriculum, but earned the respect of her instructors as a star student.

“Kim made the guys look pretty pathetic most of the time” said Stuart Gimblin, an instructor at New River CTC. “She’s really worked hard, really interested in what she’s doing, she’s always attacked everything she’s done.”

After graduating this year, Broyles will begin an internship with Chevrolet, giving her the chance to take her first steps in the working world while still continuing to learn about the automotive industry.

She said she has even bigger, long term goals in mind for her future.

“After my ‘earn and learn’, I’m going back for business, and then once I finish that I want to be able to open my own shop,” Broyles said.

Societal norms never stopped Kim from studying and working on cars. 

Her message to young people: pursue your passion rather than following anything else. 

“I think everybody should go for what they love doing instead of being scared of what other people will think,” Broyles said.