1 month ago
282
Aug. 9—If you ask Richard Voccio what you need to be successful in life, his answer would be pretty straightforward: A pillow and a mirror.
"The pillow so you could dream and mirror so you can look into it and say, 'This person can get me that dream,'" he said.
But for decades, Voccio has been the third piece: helping people achieve their dreams of working in the vehicle repair field.
He's owned The Vehicle Maintenance Place, 1425 San Mateo SE, for the past 36 years and used his business and resources to help launch the careers of 53 people he's mentored.
The mentorship program began in 1989, when a customer and his son brought a car into Voccio's shop. He distinctly remembers the son, who had one half of his hair dyed purple and an earring.
"I can't deal with purple hair and an earring," Voccio thought to himself.
The car had been given to the son by one of their neighbors, but it wasn't running. The father, who knew nothing about cars, hoped Voccio could help them figure out the problem. Voccio had another idea.
"I said (to the the son), 'You want to learn about this car?' And he said, 'Yeah,'" Voccio explained. "So he came back and I would say, within a month, he didn't have purple hair or an earring anymore, and he was really into cars."
After the experience, Voccio began offering his mentorship services to anyone who was willing to put in the time and effort to learn about cars. Those who enrolled in the program were paid $15 an hour and the opportunity to earn more, the more they learned about cars. Voccio also purchased safety equipment and tools for them. He invested roughly $1,000 in every person he mentored.
All he asked in return was that they respected him and the rules of the program. Firm, but fair, the rules were a form of tough love, according to Voccio. They included giving a portion of your paycheck to your parents, grandparents, partner or whoever that person was living with at the time. They also had to have an active bank account, in order to save.
Mentees weren't allowed to smoke or drink and were expected to be ready to work when their shift began. "It's an opportunity," Voccio explained. "I want to encourage all of these kids to do well."
Since the program's inception, 14 participants have gone on to graduate college. Currently, Voccio has two mentees working in his shop who are both on their way to college at the end of the month. Two 18-year-olds, Alexis Amancio and Kimberly Gonzalez, who are both recent graduates of Highland High School, worked with Voccio and his staff for the past eight weeks and are employed part time at his shop.
The pair both have a shared interest in auto repair and were introduced to Voccio through an organization called Future Focused Learning, which connects students with community mentors in that student's field of interest. Over the course of an eight-week mentorship, Amancio and Gonzalez learned how to perform vehicle diagnostics, tire rotations and oil changes. The learning curve was steep at times, but Voccio and his staff were a constant source of knowledge and support, they said.
"(Voccio) was really heartwarming and gave us that sense of comfort," Amancio said. "He introduced us gradually to things and we had no fear of making mistakes. He was one of the best mentors I've ever had."
Both plan to attend Central New Mexico Community College to continue automotive repair education. Both said they plan on returning to The Vehicle Maintenance Place to continue working for Voccio.
Over three decades into helping people achieve their dreams, Voccio said it's more than just a dream, it's who he is. "This is what I do," he said.
