And They Said It Wouldn't Run...How an Auto Shop Teacher is Inspiring the Next Generation of Auto Enthusiasts

“I like to show my students it isn’t always an educational structure or a very straight line with vehicles, we can also have fun with them and learn from experiences,” says David Almanzan, Dekaney High School’s automotive technology program instructor, and the winner of Havoline’s #YourProjects video contest.

Following the success of the Techron #PrideandJoy social contest, Chevron Lubricants turned their popular and long-running Havoline social post series, #YourProjects, into a contest, inviting fans to submit their favorite car projects for the chance to show off their vehicle in the next Havoline video and vote for their favorite fan submissions.

David Almanzan stole the show in a landslide vote, as a result of his inspiring dedication and passion for teaching the next generation of auto enthusiasts the useful and technical skills they need in the classroom, garage, and in real life.

Coming from a family of auto industry professionals, working on cars is in David’s blood. Now in his sixth year teaching, David is educating the next generation. With training exercises going on inside and outside of the classroom, whether it’s taking them to see a pit crew in action, educating them on the new tips he learned at an auto conference or bringing in a local police vehicle in exchange for components, David loves to show his interested students all the different ways they can be involved in the industry.

“My students like how different I can be with them, where they don’t even know they’re learning. We may be working on a vehicle, cleaning up, putting away tools, but at the same time we’re also talking,” he shares. “Very often it turns into life lessons from one of my experiences and there’s always a connection to the industry or whatever field they want to go into.”

For David, it’s important he not only educate these kids, but lead by example and let them know that if they have a dream or idea, it’s obtainable. So when a new challenge, a 1985 Mercedes Benz that had been sitting idle in his neighbor’s yard for 8 years, presented itself, David brought it to his students as their project car for the year. Since everyone told them it wouldn’t start, he let his students come up with different ways to turn it over and get it running, letting them take ownership over the project because in his words, if there’s no risk, there’s no reward.

He also wanted to create a learning opportunity to show his students that there’s always going to be something different out there, and each engine can come with its own set of obstacles, but the objective to get it running is always the same. “We picked it because it was different,” he says, “The students enjoyed the challenges because the vehicle had been sitting for many years.” Motivated by their teacher, the kids got it running in a week. And of course, having that vehicle selected as the winner of the #YourProjects contest was just the icing on the cake.

Now, as they take their class project off-roading and to rally races on the weekends, David reminds his students through example the importance of vehicle maintenance. In fact, “our main objective is for the students to learn that maintenance and light repair is really what’s moving the industry right now. It’s what keeps your vehicle alive, just like our human bodies.”

It’s why he always recommends fuel additives and top tier motor oils to anyone who asks, whether it’s his students or someone else he’s connected with in the larger auto community. Having used Techron and Havoline products for years as part of his preventative maintenance routine both in and outside the classroom, David knows nothing else has done quite the job these brands do when it comes to performance, cleaning power and protection.