Hannah Hempinstall – Brian Fraser Recent Graduate Award 2026

Alumni of Distinction Awards > 2026 > Hannah Hempinstall

Red Seal-endorsed automotive service technician
Tom Hilliard’s Manotick Garage

Motive Power Fundamentals – Automotive Service Apprentice, 2021

Hannah Hempinstall got her first job as an automotive technician when she was only 17. As a young woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, she knew some people would not take her seriously, regardless of how dedicated or competent she was. So, she made an important decision that set the course of her career. She chose to always be loud and proud about who she was: a woman in the skilled trades. She would show up to work with a bang, pink toolbox and all, and give it her best every single day. She became High-Volt Hannah.

Hempinstall did her apprenticeship at Tom Hilliard’s Manotick Garage. During her first week, Hilliard pulled her aside to tell her about Michael Shay, one of their colleagues. He told Hempinstall that Shay was an “old, scruffy, grouchy mechanic” who lived alone and had been working at the garage for ages. He might not “take to a young girl” in the shop. Hempinstall understood and steeled herself for an adjustment period with Shay.

However, as soon as Hempinstall and Shay started working together, the two clicked and bonded instantly. “All of the guys I worked with were wonderful and taught me so much,” Hempinstall said. “But Mike really went above and beyond. He’d stay late and work weekends just to make sure I was learning what I had to learn. He made me feel like I was meant to be there. We ended up becoming like family.”

Shay and Hempinstall celebrate his birthday. Source: High-Volt Hannah (Instagram).

The academic side of Hempinstall’s apprenticeship was done through Algonquin College. Her mother was an Algonquin College alumna, and both of her parents had worked at the College in the past. She knew Algonquin College’s combination of academic excellence and industry-aligned training would set her up for a successful career in the skilled trades.

Hempinstall finished her apprenticeship in 2021. Thanks to her energy, the support of her family and colleagues, and her Algonquin College education, she became a first-rate automotive technician and earned her Red Seal endorsement. In addition to auto repair, her experience at the Manotick Garage also taught her accounting, scheduling, and many other aspects involved in running an automotive service shop.

But getting there wasn’t easy. Although her co-workers always treated her with respect, the same was not true when Hempinstall dealt with customers or other people in the automotive industry. She often experienced misogyny and other forms of inappropriate treatment.

“I spent those first five years of my career constantly upset,” she said. “I realized the lack of respect toward women was a huge problem. Some people say you should ignore these things, that you shouldn’t let them get to you, but I give the opposite advice: be mad. Take this strong emotion and use it in a way that’s productive. Allow it to turn into motivation to make things better, not only for you, but for other women in the industry and the women coming after us.”

Hempinstall decided to be part of the solution. She set herself the goal of making the automotive industry a safer and more welcoming place for everybody. Since becoming a mechanic, she has frequently volunteered her time and expertise in support of initiatives promoting gender equity in the trades, such as Skills Ontario’s Young Women’s Initiatives, Algonquin College’s Women in Tech and Trades (WiTT) program, the Womxn on Wheels workshop in Ottawa, and several others.

Hempinstall supporting WiTT at We Build a Dream‘s Career Discovery Expo 2026 in Ottawa. Source: High-Volt Hannah (Instagram).

In 2022, six years since joining the Manotick Garage, Hempinstall accepted a job offer at Bruce’s Auto and Equipment Repairs in Stittsville, ON. She parted ways with Hilliard, Shay, and the rest of her team in the best of terms and went to work as lead technician and social media director at Bruce’s Auto. For the next year and a half, she used her wide array of skills to help Bruce’s Auto find renewed success.

The following year, Hempinstall went through two major, life-changing events. The first was the passing of her mentor and dear friend, Michael Shay, early in the spring of 2023. She felt his loss deeply. To honour Shay’s life and memory, she founded The Shay Way, a charitable organization that organizes donation drives to benefit people experiencing homelessness.

“Mike struggled with addiction,” said Hempinstall. “My goal in founding The Shay Way was to support people like Mike, people who deal with the same struggles that he did. I find that it’s the old scraggly guys like him that fall through the cracks in our society. I want to give them a second chance, the chance I wish Mike could’ve had.”

Later in 2023, Hempinstall was presented with an unexpected but welcome career opportunity. Since she was a child, she felt like her calling was to teach and lead. She saw an opening to teach the automotive apprenticeship program at Algonquin College, the same one she had done a few years earlier, and applied. When she was offered the job, she accepted without hesitation. This is now her fourth academic year as an Algonquin College professor.

“It’s hard to put into words how much I love teaching,” Hempinstall said. “There’s a huge volume of people coming through the College. To be the one who creates a safe environment for them to learn is the coolest thing ever.”

Soon after landing the teaching job at Algonquin College, Hempinstall parted ways with Bruce’s Auto and went back to work for Tom Hilliard at the Manotick Garage, where she happily remains to this day. She thought it was important for her to continue to work in the industry, even as she found success and fulfilment as a college professor.

“Working as a technician helps me keep up to date with the industry,” she said. “I can see the changes that are happening with cars and bring that into the classroom. It also helps my students, who realize I’m one of them.”

To divide one’s time between working in an auto shop, teaching college students, raising funds for charitable causes, and advocating for gender equity takes a lot of energy. Hempinstall’s ability to do all of this — and more — with excellence and enthusiasm is a testament to the moniker she came up for herself when she was a teenager with big hopes for her future: High-Volt Hannah.