Las Vegas Grand Prix celebrates women in automotive industry by honoring standout CSN graduate Shianne Fontanilla

Growing up in Maui, some of Shianne Fontanilla’s earliest memories are of her father excitedly taking her along to drag races on the island almost every weekend, where she experienced the thrill of roaring engines and fast cars.

Cars have always been part of her life, and now they’re crucial to her future.

Fontanilla, a recent graduate of the College of Southern Nevada, is leading a growing crowd of local women choosing to enter the auto repair industry — a field still dominated by men.

She was honored Tuesday by the Las Vegas Grand Prix with two free tickets to this year’s race in November. Fontanilla, 26, said working on cars wasn’t always a passion of hers, but she would always watch her dad tinker with whatever vehicles they had at the time. When Fontanilla moved to Las Vegas about five years ago, her initial goal was to enter the medical field.

But in 2024, she found a spark of interest in her dad’s old hobby and traded studying the anatomy of the human body for the anatomy of a car.

Scott Bennett, a program director of the department of applied technologies at CSN, explained that CSN offers a two-year master technician degree program that teaches students everything from safety in the automotive shop to the inner workings of every part on a vehicle. It’s one of the largest degree programs of its kind in the West, according to the college.

Once students have completed all of their coursework, they graduate with an associate degree and can enter the field with skills in diagnosing and repairing issues with vehicles. Students are also expected to pass the Automotive Service Excellence certification exams, which are administered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

The nonprofit aims to “improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by testing and certifying automotive professionals,” according to its website, covering more than 50 areas, including collision repair, hybrid and electric vehicles, and damage analysis and estimating. Over a quarter of a million people hold ASE certifications and work in “every part of the transportation industry.”

After knowing Fontanilla for two years and teaching her in a few classes, Bennett described her as a student in two words: passionate and dedicated.

Her peers at CSN describe Fontanilla as having an “outstanding academic performance, hands-on technical skills and a passion for automotive technology” with “sharp diagnostic abilities, work ethic and (a) determination to master complex vehicle systems.”

“I always tell all my students, if you can show up on time every day and work hard, you can succeed, and I see that out of Shianne,” Bennett said. “You just have to work hard at anything you do to become successful, and watching her and the different classes … I see that as far as working hard, showing up on time every day prepared to work.”

Though the presence of women is growing in automotive fields, there’s still a significant gap in the number of women and men employed. Women make up around 50% of the total U.S. workforce, but only about a quarter of the automotive industry, including manufacturing and service roles, according to data shared by the Global Girls Development Foundation.

That number is even less for the automotive repair and service industry, with about 12% of jobs in that field being held by women. In auto racing, women represent roughly 7% to 13% of drivers, engineers and technical support roles.

Bennett joined CSN’s ranks as a technician around a decade ago but would only occasionally see one female student in his classes — if at all. Now, that’s jumped to about three to four students per class he teaches, showing an increased interest and access to the field for women.

That could be due to more representation and encouragement from other women, Fontanilla explained. On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, female mechanics are starting to post short videos of their work and experiences in the automotive industry. Fontanilla said those posts offer a better glimpse into the job and show women that they can do this work as well.

Many organizations have joined the effort to get more women into automotive careers, including Formula One.

In November 2022, Formula One announced the creation of F1 Academy, the female-only single-seater racing championship series that focuses on developing and training young drivers for higher levels of competition. The inaugural season was in 2023, and Formula One brought it to the Las Vegas Grand Prix for the first time during its 2025 race.

The racing organization supports various initiatives for women through the F1 Academy, such as hosting in-person events and virtual workshops to engage with more young girls and discover up-and-coming talent.

More women are taking an interest in roles outside of the driver’s pit as well, according to some Las Vegas Grand Prix officials. Silvia Bellot, vice president of sporting and race operations, said in September 2025 that F1 had seen a “big, big increase” in women interested in becoming race marshals, who help with track operations throughout race events.

In 2025, about 26% of the registered race marshals identified as women — a 15% increase from the year prior, Bellot said.

That’s why the organization honored Fontanilla on Tuesday in the spirit of Women in Automotive Day, which celebrates the contributions of women across the automotive industry and highlights upcoming leaders who are considered to be advancing the profession.

“Your success is such a great story for other women who are considering a career in this field, and we hold that in the highest regard at the Las Vegas Grand Prix,” Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of corporate affairs at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, told Fontanilla on Tuesday. “We are so focused on the next generation of females in our sport ... we celebrate women in the automotive industry, so we want to congratulate you for all your hard work.”

In a surprise ceremony inside Grand Prix Plaza, Fontanilla — surrounded by her girlfriend, their son and CSN staff and students — was given two free tickets to the Sphere Zone for the 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Race activities take place Nov. 19-21.

Fontanilla said she’s looking to continue her training and improve her automotive skills now that she’s graduated from CSN. Now, she’ll even have a Formula One race to look forward to — one where her girlfriend will join her.

As for other women in the automotive industry, Fontanilla stressed that having courage and a drive to succeed will help anyone go far.

“It’s very challenging with this field being very male dominant but seeing my success in classes and in the labs; seeing more women being enrolled, it really encouraged me to finish and be a role model for other women in this field,” Fontanilla said. “Don’t be afraid knowing that it is very male dominated. Show them what you’re capable of; they’ll learn to kind of, like, back off and show you some respect. Don’t be afraid and just follow your dreams.”