While most high school students are wrapped up in extracurriculars like
physical activities, there is one that some students may not think about,
automotive.

People like Lindsay Aldridge are not interested in doing sports. Lindsay is a
junior at Gardner Edgerton High School who was introduced to automotive work
in middle school and then continued to find her love for vehicles while growing up.

“I was ten when I found my love for automotive, my grandpa was fixing a
tracker and I started to help him and I realized it was more of an escape than
anything,” Lindsay said.

To find a unique interest, there is something to spark your interest in that
curriculum. Lindsay found her spark for automotive during an elementary school
wax museum where she had to become her biggest role model.

“I was in elementary school, it was the wax museum where I had to become
a person. I chose to become my role model, Dak Prescott,” Lindsay said.

Dak Prescott is a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and he, to this day, is
still her biggest role model.

“What he went through in life, the challenges he went through, and how he
dealt with all his struggles alone is why I admire him,” Lindsay said.

Some high school students do extracurriculars to stay busy, but for Lindsay,
it was much more than that. It was making sure she knew herself before others
knew her.

“I was afraid that if I wasn’t putting my mind to something, I wasn’t doing
anything. It felt like if I was doing something I was interested in it made me
somebody instead of being nobody,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay’s dad and grandpa were a major part of the adventure to find her
love for automotive. She spent hours and sometimes days working on a project.

“My dad and grandpa were a major part. We fixed my car a lot and watching
them know how to fix things inspired me and the bond we created,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay did many projects with her dad and grandpa, many containing yard
work, housework, or fixing cars. Doing the harder tasks is what drove Lindsay to
keep her mind determined on what she wanted to achieve.

“We worked on a tow truck, clearing a field, painting barns, and that made
me feel like somebody,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay has multiple plans for her future like attending college.

“I want to go to K-State but it will probably be a community college like
KSCC (Kansas City Kansas Community College),” Lindsay said.

When she attends college, Lindsay plans to get an automotive tech degree.
Throughout her life, automotive has helped her grow tremendously as a person.

“It was an excuse to escape everything and anything, that is why I love
automotive,” Lindsay said.