The Carbon Career & Technical Institute is making history this year by sending its first female duo to the 15th annual Greater Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers Association Auto-Tech Competition taking place today at the Northampton Community College.

CCTI seniors Miranda Green and Amber Harvey won't be satisfied unless they win first place. The girls have been enrolled in the Auto Service and Technology program for three years, but they started their training before ever setting foot in a classroom."Since I was real little my dad had me in the garage working on his race car. I started by tightening bolts," Green said. Her father went on to race the same vehicle for years.Harvey, the baby of the family, has a similar story about quality time with her father spent in the garage."My dad is a mechanic and would ask for help. I got interested," she said.It's the real-life experience that the girls say gives them their credibility among their male counterparts in the program."I haven't had trouble fitting in with them. I pretty much knew as much as they did when I started," said Green. "I work at Integrity Auto over the summers, I learned a lot there."She said the men she has run across have tried to stump her, but they learn quickly that she has the skills to be a serious presence in the field."They will throw something out at you and once they realize you know what you are talking about it's like 'Oh, all right.' "The duo will compete with teams from area schools, including Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School, Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Monroe Career & Technical Institute, Career Institute of Technology, and Warren County Technical School.The teams will have to troubleshoot issues at multiple work stations including engine measurement, brake measurement, basic electrical, wave form interpretation, electrical wiring repair, engine performance/no start, and information retrieval."My weakest area is the wave forms," Green said. "But we've been really studying up on it."Harvey is concerned with the no-start challenge."There are just so many things it could be.""This is the first year with a turbo charge, so I think they will bug that," Green said.The students have spent three weeks practicing for the competition on this year's selected vehicle, a 2016 Chevy Cruze, donated by Rentschler Chevrolet of Slatington.The only miles on the brand-new vehicle were gained in the drive from Slatington to Jim Thorpe."It's amazing how a small car like this is so advanced," said Hal Resh, AST program instructor. He selected the pair to participate this year because of their attention to detail, grades and attendance."They both could be in a service adviser position," he said."Mr. Resh taught us about the fire triangle: air, fuel and spark. If any of these are out, it won't start," Green said. "He also taught us if something is unplugged, to plug it back in."The tools the team will be using to diagnose the car troubles are a General Motors scan tool, or MODIS Ultra scan."Cars are more electric now," Harvey said.Green agrees, "The computer controls everything. But cars still have the basic systems. It's just electric instead of hydraulic."Harvey plans on entering the work force after graduation this year."I've been offered a job opportunity at Lehigh Valley Acura as a mechanic. My dad likes to brag about it."Green is still shopping around colleges but has her eye on University of Northwestern Ohio."I want to go for high performance; my big dream is to work for NASCAR. I know my basics on high performance," Green said."My dad has been very supportive of me. He's very proud."The team selected as the winner will go on to compete in the National Auto-Tech Competition in New York.