By Keturah Smith
Growing up around boys, a Simsboro resident is one of the 5.4% of mechanics in the U.S. who are female, according to Zippia.
Anita Cedotal has worked on cars at the age of 19, when she officially became a mechanic after watching her dad while growing up.
“My family didn’t have a lot of money so I watched my dad repair his car over the weekend for the upcoming work week.,” Cedotal said.
Being inspired from her father, this led Cedotal to attend mechanic school.
“I enjoyed taking car parts off, finding the problem and rebuilding them, it was instant gratification while learning,” Cedotal said.
Furthermore, with rebuilding, this was the easiest part of her job because it gave Cedotal a thrill when it came to a challenge.
Though rebuilding was a breeze, Cedotal said she struggled in the industry coming up because she was a woman — until a man in Jackson, Mississippi, gave her a chance.
“I was actually able to prove myself; I was able to do it,” Cedotal said. “From there I had a job in a day.”
Furthermore, for Cedotal, some things for her were basic knowledge, but with technology advancing over the years, more things became computerized.
“With working on a computer, I took a step back because I had to relearn some things again,” Cedotal said, “but it didn’t defeat me at all.”
Cedoteal said she enjoyed the phase of learning these visuals because it didn’t take away from her using tools. Instead, it enhanced her knowledge and put Cedotal more steps ahead of the game, as she now works at Walpole Tire and service.
Additionally, Cedotal is working on a pamphlet in the future for women and individuals who are unsure of how to perform basic mechanic work.
“A woman should be able to change a tire if she’s stuck on the side of the road,” Cedotal said.
As the industry continues to change, Cedotal said she hopes more women learn how to work on their vehicles, whether learning material online or through her own future pamphlet.
“It’ll be amazing to see more women doing some mechanical work on their own cars,” Cedotal said, “Women we are very powerful.”
