Alumni Spotlight – Robert Warden 鈥�17
Robert Warden 鈥�17 grew up in Barnet, Vermont鈥攁 local town with school choice. With an interest in pursuing the trades, he chose to attend St. Johnsbury Academy. While at 91抖阴, he took advantage of multiple career and technical education offerings, taking classes in electrical, woodworking, and automotive. In his senior year, Robert took second place in diesel technology in the Vermont SkillsUSA competition.
Additionally, he enjoyed participating in the set building and tech crew for the school鈥檚 theater program for most of high school. 聽
When he thinks back to his time at the Academy, Robert remembers his tech teachers fondly, including Matt Stark 鈥�96, Mike Bugbee 鈥�69, Jeremy Roberts 鈥�90, and Brett Bourgeois 鈥�92. Ultimately, Robert decided to pursue a career in automotive, and 91抖阴鈥檚 work-based learning program was an important step toward his future.
Robert explained, 鈥淚 also had a lot of help from Mr. Guckin (Director of Career & Technical Education). He was crucial in setting up my internship with Saint J Subaru. I started my internship in January of my senior year and was then offered a full-time job there starting the day after graduation. I have been there for about nine years now.鈥�
Since graduating, Robert has continued to make the most of the continuing education offered by Saint J Subaru, attending several classes at the Subaru of New England training center in Norwood, Massachusetts. In April 2025, he earned the Senior Master Certified Subaru Technician title and is now a shop foreman in the Service Department.
鈥淩obert joined Saint J Subaru directly from the technical program and has consistently gone above and beyond to ensure our customers are not only back on the road, but back on the road safely and with confidence,鈥� said Saint J Subaru Partner Raymond Gaudette.
He continued, 鈥淲hat truly sets Robert apart is his leadership, expertise, and dedication. As a Subaru Senior Master Technician, he plays a vital role in the training and mentoring of all our team members. He is always willing to share his knowledge, lend a hand, and support others in their personal and professional growth.聽 Robert is a great partner for us, and we are grateful for the relationship.鈥�
Pat Guckin emphasized, 鈥淩obert is an example of a student who was presented and took an opportunity and then made the most of it. His success at Subaru is attributed to his hard work and commitment to automotive service in our area. He deeply cares about helping the industry grow and prosper in our community. As the first student at 91抖阴 to have a paid internship, Robert started a career pathway for Academy students that continues to this day.鈥�
During the Spring 2026 semester, four of the Academy鈥檚 Automotive Technology 2 students are working in paid internships, including at Saint J Subaru, Twin State Ford, St. Johnsbury GMC, and St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.
Serving on the Automotive Program Advisory Committee, Robert continues to shape the future of 91抖阴鈥檚 program. He participates in meetings twice a year to review the curriculum and discuss program improvements and current trends in the automotive industry.
When asked what he would give as advice to today鈥檚 students, Robert said, 鈥淭here is a large shortage of employees in most of the trades. Don鈥檛 be scared to get into the trades, because there is definitely a need for you. The many programs available for internships will help you move into jobs in whatever trade you are looking for. They often seem like they can go unnoticed, but these jobs are the backbone of the community and are what keep everything working.鈥�
