On a summer afternoon inside Whittier Tech’s auto collision repair shop, the air carries the sharp scent of fresh paint and rubber. Tools tap steadily across metal panels while students move between cars lifted on hydraulic stands, sanding fenders, prepping bumpers, and checking paint lines. At the center of the shop stands Anayah Cortez with a big smile, grounded and focused, completely at ease in a space where her future finally came into view.
Cortez, a 2025 graduate of Haverhill High School, said she had always been intrigued by cars, but she didn’t know how to turn that interest into something real. “Since I was younger, I always had a special fondness for cars,” Cortez said. “I was super driven, but I never knew how to get started or where I fit.”
She first learned about Whittier Tech through a spring Exploratory program that allowed local high school seniors to rotate through eight vocational areas. It was her first chance to experience technical training up close. Cortez said she used machines in manufacturing, tried welding, bent metal into flowers, assembled pipes in plumbing, and cooked full meals in culinary, but everything pointed her back to auto body. That early exposure became the bridge that led her directly into the Career Technical Initiative (CTI) after graduation.
That pathway into CTI is intentional. Tia Gerber, Whittier’s Director of Community Partnerships, said the Exploratory rotation is designed to give seniors “access to careers they may never have known were available.” She explained that students are encouraged to “experience all eight technical areas, discover what they enjoy, and then move directly into CTI after graduation if they choose.” Gerber added that Cortez is “the perfect example of a student who came in with curiosity, explored her options, and used that exposure to launch straight into a CTI training program.”
Once she entered CTI, the impact was immediate. Superintendent Maureen Lynch said the initiative has become a cornerstone of workforce development in the region. “We are proud to have been one of the first schools to participate in CTI,” Lynch said. “Since 2020, we have helped more than three hundred Massachusetts residents gain access to high-quality career training.” She explained that the program delivers two hundred hours of hands-on instruction across advanced manufacturing, auto body, carpentry, construction, culinary arts, electrical, plumbing, and welding. “These programs change lives and strengthen our regional workforce,” Lynch said. She also highlighted CTI’s employer network. “We could not do this without our industry partners. More than sixty companies across nine industries work with us to train and hire our students. Their support is vital.”
For Cortez, the CTI Auto Collision Repair program became the turning point. “Getting accepted felt unreal,” she said. “It gave me the opportunity to expand my passion through my own hands and get my fingertips on my dream of working on cars.”
Inside the shop, she found guidance and mentorship from Paul “Mr. D” DeBenedictis, an instructor with more than thirty years of industry experience. “She really had a strong drive in the shop,” DeBenedictis said. He described his teaching philosophy simply: “Helping students find their motivation is central to the work. Auto collision is a big puzzle, and they need to learn every piece.” He also emphasized the industry’s need for new talent. “Cars are not going away. This is a growing field, and we need young blood. Students like Anayah are exactly who the industry needs right now.”
Cortez said the CTI environment helped her build confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging. She found classmates who shared her love for cars and said the program brought out her best. Although auto collision remains a male-dominated field, she said that reality never discouraged her. “Being a female in this industry does not stop me from what I want to do,” Cortez said. “If anything, it makes me even more eager to get into this business because I want people to look at me and say, ‘Wow, she can really do it.”
Her dedication stood out to instructors and leadership alike. At Whittier’s CTI grant announcement event, Lynch introduced her as the student speaker and shared how proud the school was of her accomplishments. Cortez described how CTI helped her find direction, deepen her skills, and take her first steps into the industry.
One of her proudest moments came on the last morning of the program when she told DeBenedictis she had been hired by Marshall’s Autobody Experts in Billerica. She recalled how he pointed at her and said she had just secured her career. “I could have never felt more rewarded,” she said.
Cortez hopes to continue building her skills, pursue college, and possibly study business. She is also considering returning to Whittier in the future as an instructor, which she said would be a meaningful way to help others and give back to the program that shaped her future.
Lynch said CTI graduation represents a new beginning not just for students, but for the region’s workforce. “Every CTI graduate strengthens our local economy,” she said. “These programs give residents real opportunities and give employers the talent they need to grow.”
Looking around the auto collision shop with its tools, lifted cars, and half-finished projects, Cortez said CTI gave her a true foundation. She said she is excited for what comes next, and as she steps out of the shop, steel-toed boots tapping against the concrete floor, her future feels unmistakably within reach.