she`s so skirt!

Towanda Cooper is a sparkplug.

“My dad had a service station when I was a kid,” says Towanda, now a car mechanic. “At nine or ten, I wandered out into the garage and started asking a bunch of questions.” A few years ago, Towanda started her own mobile lube operation. A one-woman show, she has a 14-ft truck decked out for all her services and conveniently travels to her clients. She can do oil changes, brakes, axles, tires, air conditioners, etc. On the side, she’s been holding Car-Buy-Her seminars for women who want to get educated about their automobiles. “The stereotypical thing is that women and grease don’t mix,” says the 45-year-old. “I went on the Internet to find other female mechanics to talk with and could barely find any.” Breaking down walls, she’s among the first wave of women in the automotive repair industry. “They tell you to find that one thing you could do without getting paid,” says the Cartersville-resident. “This is what I can do, every day. When a client turns the key over and their car works, that’s my high.”