Joy Walczak from Kent ISD speaks with Logan Dusendang, Quick Lane Tech & ’26 Rockford High, Kent Career Tech Center Alum and Joel Stanley, Quick Lane Manager & ’98 Kent Career Tech Center Alum.
Joy Walczak, Host (JW): Welcome to the Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast where we celebrate student success one dream at a time. Today I'm with Logan Dusendang who graduated from Rockford High in June and also completed the Auto Tech program at Kent Career Tech Center. Welcome, Logan.
Logan Dusendang (LD): Hi.
JW: And we also have with us Joel Stanley. Joel is the manager of Quick Lane at Fox Ford Motors and he also attended the Tech Center in 1998. Thanks for being here today.
Joel Stanley (JS): Yeah, you're welcome.
JW: Well, I'm looking forward to talking with both of you. And you guys both have a couple things in common.First of all, you both attended the Tech Center at some point. And you're both now working here at Fox Motors, the Ford shop.First of all, how did you, Logan, end up coming to Fox Ford Motors?
LD: I ended up starting as an internship for two years.And then after the end of that, I ended up applying for a full-time job here. And that's when Joel gave me a call and said, hey, do you want to end up working here?
JW: That's pretty cool. So, your internship was part of the program at Kent Career Tech Center, right?
LD: Yeah, KCTC ended up showing me a path to here and I ended up accepting it.
JW: And Joel, this is not the first time a student has had success in the internship program with Fox Motors, right?
JS: No, absolutely.We've brought in multiple people per year and not all of them, but pretty much a large majority of them become very successful and we typically have some sort of job placement in the parts department, in the service department, as a mechanic, as an advisor. It works out really well.
JW: What do you think about the program really makes it work? How prepared was Logan and how prepared are your students?
JS: Most of the students are very prepared. Logan is definitely an exception to the rule. He's been fantastic. He came in to the Kent Career Tech Center, but he did the apprenticeship program. And when he came into that apprenticeship program, he really stood out with some of the other techs, so when there was a full-time job available, he was top on the list. So, we're like, okay, who do we need to hire?The techs out in the shop are like Logan, Logan, Logan, Logan! And we call Logan and it's worked out great.
JW: Logan, that's got to feel pretty good. How do you like working here?
LD: It's amazing. There's a lot of opportunities, just even learning stuff that you don't even need to learn.
JW: And I understand you're going to continue learning here, but I want to go back for a minute. Can you tell me, how did you ever get started in being interested in the automotive field?
LD: Owning a lot of Fords and having high mileage Fords.So, it's either you pay a bunch of money to get it fixed or learn it yourself and get it for cheap.
JW: So, are you the kind of guy who has a shop basically in your garage right now and you can fix my car if I need it?
LD: Actually, I have some tools, but my uncle owns his own shop. So that was very helpful for helping me with my cars.
JW: When did you start helping your uncle out?
LD: I want to say when I was like 14, so about four or five years ago, that I've just been interested ever since.
JW: And how did you get connected with the automotive program at the Tech Center?
LD: My uncle told me about it, and then that's when I got interested and went to a lot of the, going there just visiting the place, and then that gave me higher chances of getting in there, and I ended up getting in.
JW: And tell me about that program a little bit. What kinds of things did you learn there? Were you able to get some certifications?
LD: Yeah, so we learned everything from removing water pumps, changing tires.At the end, I ended up getting a brake certification completely for free. JW: That's a fantastic thing to walk out of high school with. And you just graduated from Rockford this past June, right?
LD: Yeah.
JW: Did you already have a job here at Fox Ford or were you planning to get one after that?
LD: Yeah, I was planning to get a job here. And it happened.
JW: And I understand some of your classmates from the Tech Center are also people who work in the group of businesses that Fox Motors owns.
LD: Yeah, I had a few others that went around. Some went for just part-time there, went to college, but some of them are sticking around with it.
JW: And Joel, as somebody who helps to mentor some of the young students here, how is your program able to help them make connections with the real world of work, which is a little bit different than learning about auto tech in a school program?
JS: I think going from working with other kids the same age at the same experience level, working with a teacher that is giving them the tools to make it to the next level. Once they get it to the next level, they can come into a dealership like Fox, one of the premier dealership groups here in Grand Rapids and probably Michigan. And once they're here, they can get with more experienced technicians, more experienced service managers and advisors that know the real-world business of this. And we can elevate them to the next level and coach them to be successful for a lifetime, not for, you know, working for a year and be done.And that's what we like about the Kent Career Tech Center.You guys get them started off and get them moving, and then we can take them from there.
JW: And Logan, how did that experience work for you? Are you now learning from some of the techs that are here, some new things that you weren't able to pick up necessarily through your school program?
LD: Yes, every day. Since these are Ford certified people, they know a lot of problems that I've had and it's able to narrow it down.
JW: What kind of a vehicle are you talking about that you've been able to troubleshoot with on your own at home? What's your Ford?
LD: I own a few. The main one is a 2015 Explorer Sport and those things have always got problems since it is the first generation of that vehicle.
JW: In what ways have you been able to work on it?
LD: I have done timing chains on them. They are known to stretch and that is a very big job and most people cannot do that.
JW: So, this is something that has helped you not only in the work world and in your career, but also at home.
LD: Yes, and it's also saved me thousands of dollars.
JW: If you can do it yourself, it really makes a big difference. Tell me what you're dreaming of doing next.
LD: My next position, I want to be a master tech here, just doing everything from engines, transmissions, just do basic things like brakes.
JW: How do you think this program will help you get there?
LD: This program will eventually, hopefully, end up end me up in the school next door, the Fox Institute, and teach me where I need to go next.
JW: That sounds like a great opportunity.And Joel, why do you think it's important for us as adults, teachers, mentors, business leaders to actually ask our students today what their dreams are?
JS: Well, they need to have a direction.You can't always just go to high school, go and then pick a college, go to college, not know what you're going to go in for and spend a lot of money and not really get anywhere. Having a path and a dream to base your career on is gonna be, it's gonna be great because you need to be able to love what you do. If you don't love what you do and you don't know what you're gonna do, it's gonna be tough to be successful at it.
JW: And Logan, what would you say to some of the younger students who may be listening to this, even parents who might want to encourage their younger students? What advice would you have for them when they're looking at a direction for high school and beyond? LD: I mean, don't let anybody dictate what you want to do. Find something that you like and then it's not really a job at the end of the day.
JW: Thank you so much, Logan, for sharing your story with us.
LD: You're welcome.
JW: And thank you too, Joel, for the mentorship you're providing for our young students and successful new business partners like Logan.
JS: Yeah, you're welcome.
JW: And thanks, too, for everyone who's listening today. We would love for you to share any students that you know who may have dreams that we could talk to on our Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast.You can find this link at KentISD.org and WGVU.org. The Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast is presented in partnership with WGVU and Kent ISD. I'm Joy Walczak.
