Jude Payumo is on the road to becoming an Automotive Technician after completing the one-year certificate program at Red River College.

Most of the program is spent in the shop, working on donated cars, engines and motors – as well as learning the basic purpose, construction, operation, and service of component parts and assemblies of vehicles.

“The shop is a good place for me to learn,” he said. “I had tried Computer Science before this but I wasn’t having fun. I like working with my hands and fixing things.”

Jude said receiving a scholarship from the Princess Auto Foundation was instrumental in allowing him to focus on his education and building his skillset.

“It helped me a lot. The scholarship is equal to about a month of full-time work for me, so it saved me a lot of time to study and to do the work I need to do.”

He had the opportunity to shadow a Red Seal Technician on his first work placement and gained a lot of knowledge and motivation for where he could end up in his future career. For his second work placement Jude requested to shadow an entry-level skilled technician to get a closer look at what his job would look like when he enters the workforce.

Outside of the automotive industry, Jude is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist for The Royal Winnipeg Rifles.

In 2017, he volunteered to support provincial firefighters in the British Columbia wildfire firefighting operations, which spread over two hectares and evacuated more than 65,000 people.

“It was one of the hardest work I’ve ever done,” said Jude. “It was our job to mop-up the burnt grounds, to look for any hot spots, and extinguish smouldering trees.”

His experiences in life have helped him stay focused on his career goals and education, and he said he felt humbled to be selected for the Princess Auto award.

“I’m so thankful for the award and all it’s helped me be able to do,” he said.

To learn more about how our donors shape the College’s success and inspire students like Jude, please visit us online at rrc.ca/development and click on the impact of giving.