When opportunity knocks, Tia Willis-Cooper doesn’t just answer, she goes running to the door! When she had the opportunity to go to middle school at Kurn Hattin Homes, she jumped at the chance.
I lived just down the road, and I knew that Kurn Hattin offered so many opportunities,” she remembers. “I was a good student at Kurn Hattin, but the music program really stands out. One of my favorite memories was being a member of the choir, and I was fortunate enough to join the Heritage Tour and sing at the White House!
Good grades, extracurricular activities, a positive attitude, motivation, and so much more made Tia an excellent candidate for the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where she completed her high school education. “At Milton Hershey, I had so many opportunities that I would not have had had I not gone to Kurn Hattin,” she says. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do at Hershey or afterward, but I knew that I liked taking things apart and putting them back together.”
Tia’s father likes to work with his hands, and she was often by his side watching and learning. She was also the one who loved to tackle the odd jobs. Her mother, Cora Willis-Cooper, says, “Tia could solve puzzles and put things together easily. She could read the directions and make it happen.”
With that interest in hands-on projects, Tia thought the automotive technology class sounded interesting, so she took that course. Then things just clicked into place. “I learned how things work and what the issues could be when they don’t work.”
In her freshman year, Tia was one of only two girls out of 20 students in the automotive course. As a senior, she was the only female. She says, “It wasn’t an issue. We were like a family, like-minded, and I was treated as an equal.”
Tia is more than equal, she’s greater than. For example, because the Hershey School auto shop is not available for the senior class, a nearby Ford dealership partnered with the school and provided an opportunity for students to work in the dealership’s service center. Tia took advantage of the opportunity and went to work doing tune-ups, oil changes, and tire changeovers.
That experience led to another opportunity. Tia was invited to join the CJB Motor Sports pit crew for a sprint car race at the World of Outlaws dirt track at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in October 2022. She was assigned to driver Spencer Bayston, who had just been named Rookie of the Year. On their Facebook page prior to the race, CJB Motorsports posted, “Honored to have Tia Willis-Cooper from Milton Hershey School join our crew tonight at the World of Outlaws. Tia will be learning about the mechanics of a sprint car this evening and plans to attend a trade school after graduation to be an automotive mechanic. Welcome Tia!”
Tia went on to accomplish even more at Milton Hershey before she graduated. In addition to being on the dean’s list, Tia was invited to star in a video promoting the school’s welding program. The title of the video is Milton Hershey School’s Career and Technical Education Program Is an Incredible Opportunity. Its YouTube online introduction reads, in part, “High school students, like Tia Willis-Cooper, continue to learn life skills and expand their technical knowledge in classes like welding. With state-of-the-art facilities and expert-level staff, Milton Hershey School students discover their passions and feel prepared for career success even before graduation.”
In the video, Tia explains that she’s come out of her shell and has been able to learn life skills, including welding. This skill will be vitally important in the auto industry when she is tasked with repairing car frames. Basically, she says, “Welding is taking a couple of pieces of metal and being able to make something out of it.”
Simple … or at least it’s simple for Tia. She’s so skilled at welding that during the summer of 2024 she worked at a scout camp in Pennsylvania helping scouts earn their merit badge in welding.
Tia is ready, willing, and able to step out of the box to pursue her interests. She’s not held back by stereotypes and nothing has stopped her from pursuing the opportunities that have come her way.
After graduation, Tia began studying for an associate’s degree in automotive technology from the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with plans to graduate in 2025.
Tia’s mother, Cora, is grateful for the educational foundation that Tia was able to establish at Kurn Hattin because it opened the door to so much more. When Cora looks back before the days at Kurn Hattin, she recalls that Tia was quiet and shy. “Taking this path was a great choice, and it’s been amazing and wonderful to see her grow. So many experiences have contributed to her growth and boosted her confidence. Today she is confident, self-assured, and ready for the next opportunity. The price for not living with my daughter is knowing that she has a bright future.”
When Tia is finished with school, the first thing she’d like to do is go on the road for a while with a race team. Then, she says, “Eventually, I hope to open my own automotive shop.”
Tia’s drive and ambition are truly commendable. She is most definitely on the road to realizing her dreams. Her message to Kurn Hattin students and alumni is, “Take any opportunity–Anything! The littlest thing could grow into something big!”