Nicole Long calls herself “the girliest tomboy you’ll ever see.”
The 5-foot-5, 130-pound woman isn’t afraid to do heavy lifting, or to work in an otherwise all-male environment in auto body repair.
Long is a 21-year-old graduate of Bellingham Technical College’s auto collision repair technology program. She will speak Friday at the college’s annual Road Less Graveled program, for women interested in nontraditional careers.
Long, who graduated from Bellingham High School, is proud that few BTC graduates are as nontraditional in the work world as she is. She’s the only woman employed in repair work at Richey’s Auto Body and Collision in Bellingham.
Comment: For someone your size, you have an amazingly firm handshake.
Answer: I’m a lot stronger than I look. To work in auto body repair, you need to be able to lift at least 50 pounds or so. I can lift 100.
Q: When did you become interested in auto body repair?
A: I saw a special program on the Discovery Channel when I was in high school. I had always been around cars with family members, and I realized how cool it would be to create a “monster car,” a “Frankencar.” I love the era of muscle cars. My favorite car would be a 1965 Mustang.
Q: Were you the only woman in your auto body classes?
A: I sure was. They had one or two through the program long before my time. The guys would joke with me and I would joke back. At first, they were surprised to see a girl working with them. But you know what? One of my favorite songs is “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better,” from “Annie Get Your Gun.”
I’m accustomed to competing with the guys, because I grew up with two older brothers. And I got a lot of support from my teacher at BTC, Bruce Evenstad.
Q: Did you have any worries about entering a male work world?
A: My only real worry was that potential employers wouldn’t want to hire such a small girl. But I’m pretty ambitious and active. Bruce put me in touch with John Richey, the owner at Richey’s. When I began job shadowing there, I wanted to jump right in and work. I showed them that, and that’s just what I did.
Q: How did the fellows with experience react to such an unusual co-worker?
A: The guys actually seemed pretty excited when they saw how much I really wanted to contribute. Here was this cute little girl who could pull her own weight. They were really giving me the thumbs up. But I’ve always been proud of that all my life — I could pull my own weight. I don’t want to ask for any special favors.
Q: Would you like to own your own repair shop someday?
A: You got it! That’s my longrange goal. I’d love to have my own shop.
Michelle Nolan is a freelance writer.