Woman smashes gender stereotypes with own auto shop

HOUSTON, Texas — A female mechanic is throwing a wrench into gender stereotypes.

Tamara Kasper is the owner of Six13 shop in northeast Harris County, an auto shop with a focus on helping underprivileged families.

“This area was hit hard during Hurricane Harvey and I really wanted to give back,” said Kasper, whose own shop was flooded with nearly 18 inches of water. “During Harvey is when I started using GoFundMe pages to help fix people’s cars.”

Kasper still uses crowdfunding to help families in need with auto repairs. She hopes to become a non-profit in the near future.

She also holds weekend workshops called Pearls and Pistons, a do-it-yourself maintenance class for women.

“I was also a customer once,” said Kasper. “I know how it feels. That’s the reason why we have these classes. When you’re talking to the mechanic and you don’t know what’s going on, you feel a little intimidated. I was in that position too. I want them to feel confident in what they know.”