Wayne Students Win Universal Technical Institute Scholarships

WAYNE, NJ — Two Wayne high school students won the grand prize at Universal Technical Institute's recent Top Tech Challenge. In addition to bragging rights, the duo also won themselves full UTI scholarships.

Ryan McVeigh, Wayne Hills, and James Lee, Wayne Valley beat out 17 other two-person teams from high school vocational and automotive programs from New York and New Jersey over two weekends. Those teams competed "for up to $300,000 in scholarships using in-demand automotive technology skills and knowledge."

The teams competed in both hands-on and written tests on vehicle parts, engines, diagnostics, and electrical systems using Bloomfield’s state-of-the-industry facility and equipment. Each student placing on a top-6 team won a scholarship, ranging from 100 percent of tuition for first place to 25 percent of tuition for 4th through 6th place finishes.

With McVeigh and Lee winning the grand prize, both can now use up to $50,000 in scholarship money to study at any one of Universal Technical Institute’s 12 campuses nationwide.

"It is incredibly valuable for high school students to have the opportunity to develop these skills in automotive technology, and we always look forward to celebrating their achievements," said UTI Bloomfield President Shawn Alexander.

"Our campuses have been hosting the Top Tech Challenge competition for more than a decade now, and we’re always impressed by students’ breadth and depth of knowledge."

McVeigh and Lee weren't the only winners from Passaic County, as Eliar Echavarria and David Azcona of Passaic County Technical Institute came in third, winning up to $25,000 in scholarships.

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