Patrice Banks, owner of Girls Auto Clinic, found herself frustrated by the lack of female mechanics when she needed help with her car. “I couldn’t find a female mechanic, so I had to learn,” said Banks. She enrolled in night classes at a technical school. “I was the only girl with a bunch of boys, 19-year-old boys,” she says. “That was interesting. I was 31.”
She worked in a few Philadelphia garages for free while she completed her training, and in 2016 she opened the Girls Auto Clinic repair center in Upper Darby, PA, which is staffed by all female mechanics. To make the shop more appealing and convenient for women, she also opened an adjoining manicure-pedicure and blowout salon, called Clutch Beauty Bar, where you can wait while your repairs are done.
Today, she empowers women to navigate the male-dominated world of car repairs, one wrench turn at a time. Her goal is to foster a community of what she calls “sheCANics.” Banks teaches free hands-on workshops at the shop every month. “I want women to own their cars, and owning it means knowing it,” she says. Breaking stereotypes and blazing the trail for women in the auto industry! 
—
I hope, through the publication of positive stories and resources, to energize readers to take their own actions to make our world a better place. If you are already there, thanks!!
Have a healthy and impactful life, Peter Prichard