TechForce Foundation announces 2022 FutureTechs Rock Awards winners

TechForce Foundation, a nonprofit organization that champions students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians, has announced Jacob Gunther of Naperville, Ill., as the 2022 FutureTechs Rock Awards grand prize winner. The award honors aspiring technicians and recognizes students with a promising future in the transportation industry.

Thousands of TechForce followers weighed in to select Gunther as the grand prize winner from among 10 category winners, including his twin brother Joshua, in the May 2-6, 2022, People's Choice public vote. Gunther also won the Welding & CNC category, while Joshua won the Motorsports (Pit Crew & Racing) category.

"My family has a project [car]... a '67 Camaro that we have been slowly working on. That's where it all started... building that together as a family,” said Gunther.

Gunther receives more than $4,000 in scholarships and prizes from TechForce and its industry partners. Each of the category winners receives $1,800 in prizes. Prize sponsors include Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Caliber Collision, Cengage Learning, CRC Industries, Ford Motor Co., Snap-on Industrial, and WD-40 Co.

The category winners are:

• Automotive – Trishana Sadloo, New York Automotive and Diesel Institute, Jamaica, N.Y.
• Aviation – Chozon Gilbert, MIAT College of Technology, Canton, Mich.
• Collision Repair – Andres Arellano, Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center, Wenatchee, Wash.
• Diesel Off-Road – Joshua Finell, Universal Technical Institute, Avondale, Ariz.
• Diesel On-Road – Riley Larr, Wexford Missaukee Career Tech Center, Cadillac, Mich.
• Marine and Watercraft – Durham Egger, Marine Mechanics Institute, Orlando, Fla.
• Motorcycle and ATV – Ashton Chatham, Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Phoenix
• Motorsports (Pit Crew/ Racing) – Joshua Gunther, Naperville North High School, Naperville, Ill.
• Restoration – Jacob Edwards, Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES, New Hartford, N.Y.
• Welding and CNC – Jacob Gunther, Naperville North High School, Naperville, Ill.