Story Published:
May 13, 2009 at 7:12 PM PDT
Story Updated:
May 13, 2009 at 7:12 PM PDT
NORWALK — The automotive industry is often considered a male trade. However, that isn’t the case for Noemi Castro of Norwalk, an automotive marketing major at Northwood University at Cerritos College.
“My parents were always supportive … even though the automotive industry wasn’t a typical field for a girl,” Castro said.
She is the oldest of four siblings. Born in Mexico, she came to California at the age of 1 with her parents and grew up in the small town of Janesville, north of Sacramento, where her parents worked in a strawberry field.
Castro said she was always interested in cars but never voiced her interest, thinking high school automotive programs were only for boys.
“I’ve always liked cars ever since I was little. I don’t remember playing with Barbie dolls,” Castro said. “But nobody told me that [automotive programs] were open for girls!”
When Castro was a sophomore, a girl from her church said that she was in an automotive technician training program at her high school.
She immediately joined the SKillsUSA automotive program, a high school program that helps students develop their skills in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.
Castro received a scholarship and was able to enroll in the Chrysler Automotive Program at Miramar College in San Diego.
She received her associate degree in automotive technology in 2005, and worked as a Chrysler certified automotive technician for five years.
Castro found out about the Northwood University program at Cerritos College from a teacher at Chrysler’s annual training session.
In 2007, she moved to Norwalk to attend Northwood University at Cerritos College. She will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in business/automotive marketing.
Castro currently works as a lead research analyst for Polk in Long Beach, where she researches prices and specifications for new cars. She plans on continuing to work for Polk.
In the future, she would like to become a field technician in Mexico and collect Mexico’s automotive marketing data.
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