North Carolina mechanic hopes to empower other women through car care workshop
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Zoe Carmichael, a North Carolina native with a lifelong love for cars, is making waves by hosting car care workshops designed for women and gender minorities.
"I never really liked Barbies when I was growing up. I always thought my brother's Hot Wheels were way cooler," she told ABC11.
After graduating high school, she taught herself how to fix up a Volkswagen Beetle.
"It's really empowering to be able to fix something with your hands and have it work at the end," Carmichael said.
Carmichael attended Wake Technical Community College before getting her bachelor's in Automotive Restoration at McPherson College. After five years of working as a mechanic, she decided to make her expertise more accessible.
Most people assume women don't know much about cars, Carmichael said, and this could lead to women feeling taken advantage of at mechanics. They may also not know where to learn about cars.
She posted on Reddit to gauge interest in a car workshop for women in the Triangle area.
To her surprise, the response to post was overwhelming.
"Hundreds of people saying they were so interested and they wanted to do it like immediately," she said.
Her first workshop took place on April 5 at Cary Automotive Repair and Service, with plans for more in the future.
"I hope to build a really nice community around women in trades and women in more male-dominated things," she said, "so you don't get weird looks when you're in the parts store, and it's really more normalized than it is today."
If you'd like to learn more about the workshop, click here.
SEE ALSO | NC Invest initiative provides funding for women, minority business owners
