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Jason O’Brien got his car checked out before getting on the road for spring break. The news wasn’t quite what he expected — but, then again, the shop he took it to was a little out of the ordinary as well.
“He found some things yesterday that need some fixing,” O’Brien reported, “so he’s ready to go for me today.”
Casimir Pulaski High School is actually O’Brien’s regular automotive shop, and it’s not just because of the convenient location. He’s the school’s principal and has been bringing his vehicle to the lead teacher and students there since he started in the role a few years ago.
“Mr. Vallejo, I spoke to him after school yesterday … something about the differentials,” O’Brien continued. “He gave me a list of about five things and said four of them could be done when I come back.”
For the past 11 years, instructor Luis Vallejo has taught Pulaski’s automotive program, the largest in Wisconsin. Created in 1963, it’s the only one left within Milwaukee Public Schools and — just to be clear — isn’t open to the public. But it does offer both auto-repair and auto-body instruction.
“It’s two years … and students can come out of the program certified as a technician by the time they’re done,” Vallejo said.
Junior Devvin Flores is one of the students on the road to certification. He’s always had a big passion for cars and has worked on them with his dad since childhood.
“Everything that we do here I hypothetically could do at home, to a slight extent, but it would be much more difficult; I wouldn’t have a teacher along the way,” Flores said. “So it gives me access to learning a lot more tools and what they do, also just learning how things are supposed to be done.”
Vehicles are typically donated from dealerships, automotive organizations and even staff. Students learn everything from changing oil and gas lines to replacing alternators and brakes to general maintenance and diagnostics. For 16-year-old junior Bladmir Lozano, it isn’t just instruction; it’s a passion.
“Once I saw this was a subject you could learn at this school, I kind of just attached myself to that,” Lozano said. “I like working hands-on, so I’d rather do something like this than math, science or history.”
After graduation, Lozano wants to attend MATC and go into mechanics. But on this particular day, he and a classmate learned how to change a headlight.
“Right now, we’re taking off the bolts to get to the headlight so we can move and replace the light bulbs,” he explained. Asked how hard the process is, he replied, “For us, we’re beginners, so it’s a little difficult. But we have the right instruction, so we should get it done pretty easily.”
Sophomore Lesly Perez is also part of the class and was a little more practical when thinking about why she decided to join. “Maybe one day I get into an accident and need to change the wheel,” she said. “So now I already know how to change the wheel, or maybe some friend needs help with the car.”
While Nayelli Sanchez’s love of cars came from going to shows with her mom, the junior has always been fascinated by how vehicles work and move on the road.
“We learned how to use a meter to check bolts and stuff, so that was really interesting to learn about since I’m not great at math,” she said. “But that was pretty easy to understand.”
Whether students make this their career or graduate as the valedictorian and head to law school, the soft skills they also learn set them up for success beyond Pulaski. They tour dealerships, meet employers and get prepared for their next adventure.
“We do work on a lot on employability skills,” Vallejo said. “It’s one of our highest standards. We work with employers to see what it is that we should be teaching the students, whether it’s communication skills or actually showing up to the job on time, what it means to be a productive employee.”
That’s rewarding for the former Pulaski student turned teacher. He took over the automotive program after the last instructor retired and found that it set him off in a new direction. “I think I plan on teaching for as long as I can,” he said. “Originally, my plan was to return to a shop, but right now I really enjoy what I’m doing.”
