Automobiles are an indispensable part of American life.
And as long as that is the case, there will be a need for people to maintain and repair them.
For the past half-century, the automotive service technology program at Carlsbad High School has addressed that need. Its three-year curriculum has incoming freshmen learning about brakes in their first semester. Once their foot is off the brakes, they continue on a six-semester road through suspension, alignment and steering systems, engines, basic electrical, fuel and emissions, air conditioning and heating systems, and finally, manual and automatic transmissions.
Coordinator Guadalupe “Lupe” Vasquez Jr., a 1978 graduate of Carlsbad High School, went through the program as a student. He is now in his 19th year of teaching it. Vasquez had been working on cars for years before he even started high school. His father, Guadalupe Vasquez Sr., was an ex-Marine and self-taught mechanic who opened an auto repair shop in Loving, NM, 10 miles from Carlsbad. The business included an auto salvage yard so Lupe Jr. had access to junked cars. By age 13 he was taking engines apart. “I built a ’55 Chevy from the ground up,” he recalled. “I used parts from four different vehicles.”
Vasquez’s first job out of high school was at an automobile dealership. Later, he opened his own repair shop and parts store. “I’m basically teaching everything I’ve learned over the years every day,” he said. With ongoing advances in automotive technology, Vasquez has kept right on learning, renewing his Automotive Service Excellence certificate every five years.
Students in the CHS program, who currently number about 130, can pursue the coveted ASE certificate when they finish. Many of their courses offer the option of earning dual high school and college credit. This gives them a head start toward an associate’s degree in automotive service technology.
Meanwhile, the program itself looks to the future. Vasquez is in the process of organizing an advisory council. CHS recently launched an internship program with the City of Carlsbad; the first intern was placed in vehicle maintenance. The automotive service technology program is considering a return to a four-year curriculum. A fourth year would allow courses in areas such as diesel engines as well as electric and hybrid (gasoline/electric) vehicles.
Ivan Lunsford is one of the many success stories among CHS graduates who went through the automotive service technology program. “It made a huge impact on my life,” said Lunsford, class of 2012. His grandfather, J.C. Lunsford, directed the CHS automotive program in its early years. So, it felt natural for Ivan to head that way as a freshman. “I grew up with hot rods,” he recalled. “I had a jump start.”
Enrollees in the CHS program have the opportunity to take part in SkillsUSA, a national organization that serves more than 442,000 students in training programs for technical and skilled-service occupations. SkillsUSA programs include local, regional, state, and national competitions. During the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, more than 6,800 students compete in 114 hands-on skill and leadership contests.
Ivan Lunsford excelled in SkillsUSA competition starting in his freshman year. Success in state competitions qualified him for multiple trips to national competitions, where he placed in the top three twice. He earned more than $50,000 in scholarships and so many tools that some are still in their packages.
SkillsUSA emphasizes life skills as well as technical skills, Lunsford noted. Participants can receive training and compete in things like job interviews and résumé preparation—“Stuff I use all the time as an adult.”
Today, Ivan is a certified pipeline welding inspector, living in Carlsbad and working in the oil patch. Yet, he looks back gratefully on his years at Carlsbad High School in the automotive service technology program. “It was definitely cool to be a part of it.”
Article written by Tim Palmer and originally published in Focus on Carlsbad 2026 Spring edition.
Tim Palmer
My wife, novelist Catherine Palmer, and I lived in Artesia from 1986 to 1991, while I was editor of the Artesia Daily Press. Cathy’s first three books were published while we were here. We always thought we might come back—we didn’t know it would take 33 years! Cathy continues to write her novels (now #60), and I focus on promoting junior tennis.
