Each week for Wrenching Women Wednesday, we focus our efforts on shining a light on Women in Automotive and their journey’s in automotive. This week, we would like to introduce Morgan Woodtke, Heavy Duty Truck Diagnostic Technician and graduate from Lincoln Technical Institute in West Orange, New Jersey.
This is Megan’s story
I received the “Technician of Influence Award” in 2022 from Navistar. I am Master Navistar and Cummins- certified, and I also won the President’s Award at Lincoln Tech. I started off my career as an oil change technician at Firestone to get my feet wet. Shortly after, I realized that I wanted more of a challenge, so I began working at Nutmeg International (now called Allegiance Trucks). From the day I realized that I wanted to become a mechanic, I had many people telling me that “it’s a men’s trade” and “I’d kill myself trying to work on heavy duty trucks”. I also heard things like, “do you really think you could handle that?”
The negativity pushed me even harder, and eventually drove me to success. In just two years, I became a diagnostic technician and proved many people wrong. While I still have a lot to learn, I have been very focused on perfecting my electrical diagnostic skills and learning as much as I can about Navistar’s new A26 engine.
My advice to anyone interested in a trade- just do it! You can do anything you put your mind to as long as you stay focused on the end goal! Don’t give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about.
– Morgan Woodtke
About Katie French
Katie French is an Automotive Repair Expert at RepairPal. Her love for the automotive industry began at a young age learning how to fix bicycles and driving around the neighborhood in a pink Power Wheels Jeep. To pursue a career in the field, Katie attended NEIT for Advanced Automotive Technology out in East Greenwich, RI. Since graduating from the automotive program, Katie has worn many hats in the auto industry over the years, and has treated every day as a school day. She currently is working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Management with a concentration in Fleet Management from Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, MO. In her free time, Katie enjoys empowering women in skilled trades, Jeep builds, and spending time with her family.
