By Elissa Loch & Kara McGlashan
Aurora
North Farmington HS
1st Place
Division 3, Yearbook
Academic Writing
Henry Ford once said, “there is no man living who isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.” Senior William Morganti seems to understand this. After growing up his whole life around cars, he’s taking his interest in auto mechanics further than he ever thought before.
“When I was a kid, I grew up in my dad’s shop,” Morganti said. “My dad got me interested in cars, and my grandpa worked for GM styling in the 1940s and 50s. So my family’s been all mechanics. My great grandpa was an inventor as well.”
Morganti has been in the NFHS autos class for all four years of high school. Learning in the classroom as well as at home has helped him understand why he appreciates vehicles, engines and mechanics so much.
“The thing about cars is that they don’t lie to you. If you do something wrong, they’ll let you know,” Morganti said. “That’s why 1 like cars; because unfortunately not all people are like that. And for me, autos goes further than school. I’m always trying to perfect, always researching, and helping in my dad’s shop.”
The young mechanic says that older generation cars are his favorite models to work on. When asked why, he smiles, “older cars … are very hands on. You have to be very mechanical, use all your instincts and put your whole heart into it, and in the end, you feel much more involved with the car; I think that’s something that’s a lost art.”
Morganti is certain he will be involved with auto mechanics during college and within his future career; however, he plans to specialize in motorcycle mechanics rather than automobiles.
“What makes a motorcycle different than a car, for one thing, there’s less parts,” he said. “There’s also a lot more mechanics involved with the suspension and engine design. It takes more skill to use, there are not many regulations, and I like that. You can really expand the horizon on your ideas. With cars, that’s so limited.”
The senior clarifies that auto mechanics is more than a career move because for him, it’s a lifelong passion.
“If I have kids, l want to pass this on to them, or pass it on to anyone else who has that same enthusiasm,” Morganti said. “With Autos, you have to stick with it. Autos is going to continue with me for the rest of my life.”