Behind the doors of room A107 is a finely tuned orchestra. However, in this pit, the floor is covered in grime and the favored instruments are air ratchets and fluke meters. The humming of engines harmonize at the will of their conductor. From the grease underneath his fingernails to his intricate knowledge of the workings of a carbonator, senior Riley Burkley has every qualification of a seasoned mechanic. He stands with confidence in both his skills and leadership. The automotive program at Highland would not be the same without his influence.

Fixing things has always been a talent of Burkley’s. According to one of his closest friends, Connor Weight, Burkley has always been characteristically curious and innovative.

“He has done countless little adjustments and improvements on my past cars,” Weight said. “Riley’s the kind of guy that if something is broken, then he’s going to find out the problem himself, and then fix it himself.”

The particular interest in cars came to life on his family ranch.  He grew up watching his uncle work on cars and tractors, and around age 10 began assisting with repairs. With his knowledge and interest in engines, Burkley got involved in the automotive program at Highland his freshman year. Since then he’s been hooked.

“He’s taken small engines, Auto One, Auto Two, Auto Three, and he’s TA’d for two of my class periods. If he could, he would love to live in the autoshop,” automotive teacher Doug Dredge said.

The CTE programs and career pathways at Highland allow any student to become certified to get a job the day after graduation, if not sooner. Burkley has taken full advantage of this. Before the start of his junior year, he took his mom’s car into a local Jiffy Lube for several repairs. After watching the employees deliberate and struggle over pinpointing the issue, Riley told them exactly the problem and how they should fix it.  In awe, they asked him if he needed a job, and begged him to fill out an application.

“I went into an interview, and they basically hired me on the spot after hearing about everything I’m doing,” Burkley said.

After over a year and a half of working there, Burkely spends 30 hours a week working at Jiffy Lube. As one of the only two certified break technicians employed there, he has climbed the ranks and become one of the top employees in both skill level and wage. Along with his salary he receives commission from his work on breaks, and regular bonuses for helping their store win contests among the Jiffy Lube franchise.

With a relatively open school schedule his senior year, he spends at least half the day working in the school shop with Dredge, helping other students or working on cars for friends and family. He has also done work for teachers and administrators at Highland, tuning up their cars when they begin to putter out.

“Every day he brings in a car of a friend or a parent, and is always trying to help someone out,” Dredge said. “He is one of the most of the most energetic students that I’ve ever had. He’s so respectful, I consider him a friend.”

The great student-teacher relationship Burkley has with Dredge is one of his favorite parts of the CTE program. He highly recommends automotive to anyone interested in it and fully recognizes the huge impact it has made on his life.

“The CTE program is insanely helpful. I also took welding, and am a certified welder. If I wanted to go get a job with that, I’m already qualified and certified through the state. Same with auto, I could get a job anywhere in the industry,” Burkley said.

With all of his knowledge and work experiences, Burkley has a bright future. He hasn’t even graduated high school yet, and has already began getting referrals from bigger companies and receiving bigger job offers. However, Burkley has even bigger dreams for himself. His ultimate goal is to attend Air Force Academy and fly for them as well as for Life Flight. But until he jumps into a jet, his focus will be ensuring that everything on the ground continues to run efficiently under his watch.