Third Time’s a Charm: CREF Scholarship Winner Takes Gold in Refinishing at 2025 SkillsUSA National Competition
Created for Collision Repair Education Foundation
When it comes to excelling in a complex trade like collision repair and refinishing, persistence is key! Aleah Sauder has learned that lesson well, and her pertinacity was rewarded when she took home the gold medal in Automotive Refinishing Technology at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Competition, held in Atlanta, GA earlier this year.
Her journey into collision began during high school. “I was on track to graduate a year early, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after high school,” Sauder recalls. “Since I had always enjoyed working in the garage with my dad, my mom encouraged me to try an automotive class, so I signed up for an entry-level refinishing course and really enjoyed it.”
During her time at Marengo Community High School (Marengo, IL), she decided to test her skills by competing in SkillsUSA. She took first place at the Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference, advancing to nationals where she walked away with silver, sharing the stage with two other female winners. “That was the first time three girls have been on that stage, and it was incredible [and] empowering,” she said at the time.
That feeling of empowerment inspired her to continue her collision education, so she decided to pursue an automotive collision and refinishing technology degree at Waubonsee Community College (Waubonsee, IL). She found financial support for her dream when she applied for a Student Scholarship through the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) and was awarded $2,500 toward tuition. She was excited for the assistance that helped her “move another step forward toward my future career in automotive refinishing and collision. Ever since I took my first refinishing class, it became my dream to go into this field, and receiving a CREF scholarship allowed me to pursue an education, to continue learning and spread my knowledge of this career path. I’m thankful for the opportunity and the support towards my goal.”
Those funds were particularly helpful for Sauder who had to drive a significant distance to Waubonsee since none of the colleges closer to home offered auto body courses. “Because I was out of district, I had to drive an hour every day to attend class. Gas money adds up quickly, so having the scholarship pretty much pay for my classes allowed me to put money toward transportation and setting up my toolbox to help me prepare to enter the workforce. Those funds accomplished more than merely paying for school; they contributed to setting me up for future successes.”
Sauder received additional encouragement in her chosen career path when she entered CREF’s 2023 Art Meets Automotive Competition. Her idea to transform a simple mailbox into a VW bus showcased her talent and creativity…and resulted in victory. “I was amazed when I learned that I won first place with a substantial tool prize which allowed me to continue building my toolbox. I’m grateful to CREF and all their supporters for everything they do to enhance the capabilities of collision schools, students and the future of our industry.”
Armed with more knowledge – and a lot of confidence – Sauder decided to try her hands at SkillsUSA again with her instructor’s encouragement. “Waubonsee was very supportive, and since classes only took half the day, I was allowed to practice after school every day. I was given access to the tools and materials necessary to set up mock sessions to hone my skills.”
Those efforts paid off when she competed in the 2024 SkillsUSA Competition, winning at the state level and taking the silver medal at nationals once again. Instead of getting discouraged, she continued her studies with an extra year of refinishing courses where she served as a student teacher and began preparing to compete one more time. “It was nerve-wracking because I’d placed second twice, and while I was really proud of myself, I really wanted a gold medal.”
Her tenacity was not in vain – Sauder’s devotion to the refinishing craft proved a worthwhile venture when she was called to the stage during the 2025 SkillsUSA Competition where that coveted gold medal was placed around her neck. “I did it! It was incredibly rewarding to show everyone what I was capable of achieving and extremely gratifying to know that all my hard work had paid off. I’m so grateful to my high school instructor, Mr. Vince Long, and my college instructor, Mr. Ramiro Cervantes, for believing in me; taking first place would not have been possible without the support and guidance that they provided!”
During her time at Waubonsee Community College, Sauder “fell in love with refinishing.” She appreciated having the chance to “learn from my mistakes. We were taught correct repair processes with the understanding that we would err and need to try again. In the real world, you can’t make all those mistakes that will cost the shop money, but in class, we were given grace when we didn’t perform a task perfectly the first time; those failures gave us an opportunity to learn and grow in a way that better prepared us for our future careers.”
Being able to work part-time in a shop while pursuing her degree was also beneficial, and it helped Sauder establish her next goal: to become a head painter. That dream was recently fulfilled when she was promoted to head painter at Plano Collision Center (Plano, IL)!
So, what’s next? Sauder remains passionate about continuing to advance her skills, and in the future, she hopes to return to Waubonsee Community College as an instructor. “Someday, I’d love to teach the next generation of technicians and share my knowledge and experience with them so that they will be inspired to pursue this rewarding career path. We need more passionate people entering this industry, people who care about their work and want to repair cars the right way.”
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist high school and college collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online.
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The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation, visit us online at: www.CollisionRepairEducationFoundation.org.
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If you would like more information about this topic or any of CREF’s initiatives, please email info@ed-foundation.org.
