Image: UFV / Julia Nunes, a graduate of Unity Christian High School in Chilliwack, has been working on the restoration of a vintage Chevrolet truck at the UFV Trades and Technology Centre on the Chilliwack campus.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

UFV auto collision repair program

Unity Christian grad making a name for herself in the auto collision repair program at UFV in Chilliwack

Apr 15, 2024 | 3:15 PM

CHILLIWACK — Don’t expect first-year University of the Fraser Valley student Julia Nunes to settle for anything less.

Nunes, a graduate of Unity Christian High School in Chilliwack, is currently enrolled in the Automotive Collision Repair and Refinish program at UFV and has her sights set on gaining Red Seal certification in refinishing (painting), with a goal of one day owning her own full-time car restoration business.

According to a profile of her on the UFV website, Nunes describes herself as a competitive person, a distinction she’ll be able to test at the Skills Canada 30th annual Provincial Trades and Technology Competition, which happens this Wednesday, April 17 at Abbotsford Tradex.

“All I know is that we do a little bit of every part of our trade,” Nunes told UFV in an interview. “We’re doing plastic repair. We’re fixing a fender. I know I’ll be facing people who’ve been doing this for a lot longer than I have, so I’m not expecting to win. But it would be fun if I do, and I’m so excited to see what happens.”

What began as a passion for classic cars at a young age eventually grew into a postsecondary decision to enroll in the UFV auto body program in September 2023. She spends many of her days at the UFV Chilliwack Trades and Technology Centre at the southwest corner of Keith Wilson Road and Tyson Road.

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Image: UFV / Julia Nunes wears a custom respirator while working in the shop at the UFV Trades and Technology Centre in Chilliwack.

She’s been working on restoring a 1981 Chevrolet truck she acquired in Merritt, B.C. last October. To make the restoration project possible, she purchased a 1987 truck for parts. Since then, she’s been working on the parts at home and the auto body at UFV in Chilliwack.

“I always wanted a square-body truck with a bench seat,” Nunes told UFV. “I don’t know why, but I’ve known that since I was seven years old, watching garage shows where they were always restoring those square bodies. The fine edges and sharp body lines, and the way the paint looks so nice and clean, there’s just something about them. I know what this one’s going to look like when I’m done, and I’m so impatient to see it.”

Once Nunes gets her Red Seal in refinishing, she doesn’t plan to stop there. She hopes to attain a similar certification in auto collision repair.

In many ways, Nunes is defying stereotypes in a field where men have typically worked and been well represented. The provincial competition happening this week will give her a chance to showcase her core competencies and showcase herself as a woman in trades.

“I’m excited to see the looks on some faces when they see a young girl walking into this competition,” Nunes told UFV in an interview. “I like to break the standard, and we have some amazing women in UFV trades who do it with me. And the guys I work with at UFV are super supportive of us, but I do expect to get those looks at provincials, and that excites me because when somebody thinks I can’t do something, it makes me want to do it more.”