BRIGHT FUTURES — Nederland’s Angel Carreon using U.S. National Guard to propel auto mechanics career
Published 12:38 am Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Angel Carreon was sworn-in March 17 for the National Guard. (Courtesy photo)
Angel Carreon will graduate from Nederland High School this year and enter the U.S. Army National Guard, where she will work in diesel mechanics. (Courtesy photo)
Angel Carreon has played the flute since sixth grade. (Courtesy photo)
Angel Carreon changes the brakes for the first time at age 11 with supervision from her father. (Courtesy photo)
Angel Carreon is pictured with her first flute the week before the start of sixth grade. (Courtesy photo)
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NEDERLAND — Angel Carreon’s future goals changed at 11 years old when, under the supervision of her father, she changed the brakes on her mother’s car.
Now, the 18-year-old basically serves as the family’s mechanic. She changes brakes, oil, tires, installs brake lights and was recently certified in motor vehicle air conditioning.
“Anytime there’s a question about vehicles, I go to her instead of Dad,” mom, Kathryn Carreon, joked.
It was around the same age that Angel picked up the flute and began playing in sixth grade at Central Middle School.
Now a senior, she has carried her love for vehicles and band with her for half her grade school career. Soon, she’ll be leaving one behind to advance the other.
Angel said her favorite part of band has been football games, the bus rides back and forth to away games and Mid County Madness.
“We were out there, thankfully not in our uniforms,” she said of the last Mid County Madness game, which was met with heavy rainfall. “A lot of us had our shoes drenched. Even though we lost, we had fun.”
Football Fridays are now a thing of the past, but she’s speeding ahead with a career in auto mechanics.
She joined automotive classes as a sophomore and has continued with an interest in diesel mechanics.
She begins that career this summer after swearing in to the U.S. Army National Guard last month.
“I’ll be working on Humvees,” she said.
Angel intends on staying in the National Guard for a while, and then joining a local mechanic shop when she returns home. Her intent is to open her own shop one day.
When not working on vehicles, Angel enjoys English, specifically this year because there has been a focus on British literature.
She is writing her senior research paper on William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”
“I wanted more of a challenge and something I could analyze,” she said.
She also enjoys physics and has participated in Key Club, United Diversity and STEM groups.
Kathryn said Angel is also a mentor to her younger brother, who has autism.
“Angel is incredible with him,” she said. “He could not ask for a better big sister.”
Angel will leave in July for basic training.
“My stomach is in knots,” Kathryn said. “But it is going to be OK. She has to spread her wings.”
Angel is the daughter of Kathryn and Joshua Carreon.
