De Anza’s Automotive Technology Club focuses on teaching students practical and theory work in regards to automotive technology. The club is an extremely connected and close knit community.

Auto Tech Club president Brett Johnson, 23, is finishing his second year in the automotive program. Johnson said the club has a lot of different activities that help students to have an impact on their lives, career and themselves. “We do a big drive every year around thanksgiving for canned food and fundraising,” he said.

Johnson said the club does a lot of activities with the autotech program at De Anza. He said the club took each class on three separate occasions up to the Black Hawk Auto Museum in Danville.

“We got to see the cars and learned about the history,” said Johnson.

Johnson said the club aims to develop and culture students so that they can blend in the workforce. He said it’s easy to make a mistake when learning in the field.

“We like to get rid of that pressure or fear in making a mistake because we want students to have the ability to make mistakes where it doesn’t affect anyone,” Johnson said.

Rick Manner, auto technology professor, said one of the former program instructors worked at the tank museum in Porto Valley as a docent, working on the tanks.

He said the former instructor is taking a group of students to the tank tour this month.

Manner said the Auto Tech Club is more than just a club to the students within the auto tech program, it’s like family to many students because it’s a place where they can bond.

“I’ve known club members part of the auto tech club from 1967 that have kept in touch with other club members from that original class,” Manner said.

The auto tech club meets on Thursdays at 7:30 a.m.