Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight: Matt Kent
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The Imagine America Foundation is proud to offer scholarship and award programs to thousands of students every year. We’re excited to catch up with some past recipients to see where they are now.
Matt Kent could not be happier with his career trajectory. After being awarded an Imagine America Adult Skills Education Program scholarship and an IAF cash grant, he enrolled at Universal Technical Institute in Exton, Pennsylvania.
Matt went to school to pursue an automotive technology program—and received a job offer before he’d even graduated in 2016. His basic training took him about a year, but he also opted for additional specialized training so that he could get experience working for specific manufacturers like Lexus, Toyota, and Scion.
The in-depth training Matt received at UTI helped him feel comfortable and confident when it was time to enter the automotive field, especially when he found himself working with high-end vehicles. After working in a Lexus dealership for one year, Matt joined a rapidly growing service team with Tesla. He’s thrilled about how far he’s grown in his career in just three years and is excited to keep learning.
“My potential future seems limitless,” Matt says.
He credits the knowledge he gained at UTI (and the opportunity to attend a great technical school with help from IAF) for helping him get to where he is today. The automotive field is growing quickly, and he says the sky is the limit for anyone who, like him, has a thirst for knowledge about how cars work and how to fix them.
For those who have the drive and the willingness, Matt says, “Just do it!” If you have passion for a new career path and are considering going back to school, he says it’s a great starting point for gaining both the skills and the confidence to get into the field you love.