Thanks to a scholarship for automotive students, William Jason Bolds Jr. is finally getting to fulfill a lifelong dream born of working in his family’s business. With a bit of a twist.

“My dad was an auto mechanic all his life,” says Jason, “and I was always working on cars with him. But what I really wanted to do was paint them – I just had no place to learn.”

Jason started college in his native Louisiana as an accounting major, then put his education on hold when graduating friends didn’t land jobs in their fields. He became a certified forklift operator – a job which he still holds – and moved to Dallas in 2002.

Returning to School to Pursue His Passion

But he couldn’t get it out of his head that one day he’d return to school in something he loved. For him, that was paint and body work, and research turned up Eastfield’s auto body program. He’s on track to complete his associate degree in December.

Eastfield Campus Autobody Technology Program

“This scholarship means a lot to me,” says Jason of the Randall and Sherry Reed Advantage scholarship that is funding his final semester at Eastfield in auto body technology. “What has impressed me is all the knowledge the instructors have and their willingness to share it. Learning how to shape metal has been the most amazing thing to me.”

Now that his dad has retired from being a mechanic and owns a towing business, Jason still hopes to help out when he can. “I can step in and fix cars so that he can sell them — I can still contribute to the family business,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot and there’s still a lot I can learn. “My long-term goal?” he ponders. “One day I’d like to start my own business. Maybe someday I can help someone else to get into this field.”

“I’d like to start my own business with all the knowledge and skills I’ve received from Eastfield.”

– Jason Bolds