According to Zippia, there are over 226,972 diesel mechanics currently employed in the United States and Cassandra Brunner, from Northern York, is amongst the 3.7% of diesel mechanics that are women. She is currently employed at Rohrer Bus Services in Duncannon.
Cassandra decided to apply and accept the offer to attend CPACTC in 2021 because she wanted to take classes she was interested in and knew she wanted to learn a trade.
She applied to be a Diesel Technology (DT) student because of the stories she heard from her step father about working on military equipment when he served in the Army. During the application process, DT was actually her third choice; but after doing research and becoming more interested in all that the industry encompasses, she changed DT to be her first choice! She truly enjoys working on big engines and trucks as much as she loves working on her family’s vehicles.
When the opportunity presented itself for Cassandra to participate in co-op capstone, she took it. This is her advice for Level 2 Juniors… Go for it! If it is something you are patient about and love doing the work – Go for it! She believed that in order for her to get a better understanding of what she was learning from Mr. Parson and Mr. Krepps in the classroom, she needed to take the next step and actually work in the industry and apply that knowledge and skill.
Working at Rohrer Bus Services, Cassandra is paired with a mentor and loves the family atmosphere that the company has created. She most recently completed lot training which means she can now drive buses from the lot to the work bays for maintenance. With her mentor, she is responsible for ensuring that general maintenance is done on buses and other transport vehicles and safe for the road. She believes the most challenging parts of her job are working in the tiny places on vans, transits, buses and shuttles or trying to tear things apart that need fixed.
After graduation, Cassandra will be attending Pennsylvania College of Technology majoring in Heavy Equipment Technology with a technician emphasis as well as Diesel Technology. She also plans to continue working at Rohrer Bus Services because in doing so it will help her to continue to hone her knowledge and skills.