Student's Mechanics Passion Pays Off

Zac Detwiler, 18, a senior at Osbourn Park Senior High School near Manassas, might not be the typical college scholarship student. His grade-point average is between a C and C-plus. He doesn't take Advanced Placement or honors courses. And he doesn't participate in any school-sponsored extracurricular activities.

But Detwiler, a budding car technician, won an award that will help finance nearly all of his college tuition: a $25,000 scholarship to the University of Northwestern Ohio, where he plans to pursue an associate degree and study performance automotive technology.

Although Detwiler's grades might not be stellar, he won the prize by placing first among more than 1,500 incoming students on an automotive technology exam in November given by the university. He received a phone call a couple of weeks later from a university representative who alerted him to the prize. Detwiler said he was in disbelief when his cellphone rang while he was at his after-school job at a car repair shop.

"I asked him if he was serious," Detwiler said. "I asked him a couple times. He just kept telling me that I did win and 'congratulations.' "

The exam, he said, was not for mere car enthusiasts. He said it had 50 multiple-choice questions that touched on brake systems, emissions and engine mechanics. There were even essay questions.

"The first one asked us what the four strokes are in a four-cycle engine and what happens in each. The second question was about brake diagnosis," he said. "The third was, 'Why do you deserve this scholarship?' I quite frankly do not remember what I said. I think I said something about my dedication to learn in this subject."

He said his performance is a testament to the guidance of a teacher at Osbourn Park, Doug Burgess.

Detwiler said he traces his passion for automobiles to his childhood, when he watched NASCAR races with his father.

Later, he remembers getting a gas-powered remote-control car that reached speeds up to 40 mph. He felt cool.

"I had a few friends who were interested in [remote-control cars], but they only had the toy-class ones, the kind you had at Toys R Us," he said.

After that, Detwiler wanted to learn about the innards of automobiles: what made them work, why they broke down. He became hooked on races on the Speed Channel and devoured articles online.

"I would be amazed at what the drivers could make cars do and still be able to control them," he said.

It was not until his junior year that he began taking courses in automotive technology, which he has continued as a senior. After school, he works several days a week at a Goodyear repair shop. When he's home, he'll skim car-themed Web sites and read an online forum dedicated to Nissan owners. (He owns a white 1994 Nissan 240SX.)

His mother, Edee, 54, a sales support manager and a former professional ice skater, said she would have helped her son pay for the college even if he had not won the scholarship.

"I told him that I'll put as much energy as I can into this and that I was going to help as much as I could," she said. "I've had a long life of having jobs that I loved. So, I felt I needed to support that."

At this point, it's unclear whether Detwiler will get a bachelor's degree. He said that professionals tell him it's not necessary. His mom said that he could get the degree online -- and persuade a future employer to pay for it.

Regardless, he dreams of starting a business. "I have some friends, we've been talking about opening a shop together," he said. "We'll install custom stereos, do the paint and bodywork, make the cars faster and stuff."