John Santiago Is Changing Lives, One Wrench at a Time

Mentorship programs can change the course of a person’s life, and for Jerry Reed, that program was John Santiago’s The Community Garage.

Founded by NASA instructor Santiago, The Community Garage uses motorsports to teach young adults technical and life skills. Reed, now a Tesla mechanic, is one of the success stories from the nonprofit.

“If you have a passion for cars, Dr. John will gladly welcome you into The Community Garage,” said the 21-year-old Reed. “It doesn’t matter what your background is, what your financial situation is. It does not matter.”

The Community Garage blends Santiago’s passion for teaching and motorsports, while positioning students for job opportunities once they graduate from high school. Santiago launched the after-school nonprofit in 2019 after speaking to car clubs around Evanston and Skokie, Ill., and seeing firsthand how motorsports builds confidence and character.

Hands-On Learning at The Community Garage

At the race shop north of Chicago, students get access to race cars and tracks most adults spend a lifetime chasing. Students have to show an interest, and that starts by attending open garage time. It’s a working race shop where the students can turn wrenches, talk about cars and life with Santiago and the crew.

“Demonstrate to us that you are really interested in any aspect of cars or motorsport,” Santiago said. “Once we get that regular activity from them, then we start talking about coming out to events.”

By day, Santiago is a philosophy professor at the College of DuPage, the largest community college in Illinois. NASA Great Lakes members will recognize Santiago, who leads the region’s HPDE 1 program with Robert Ellis and races Spec Iron.

The Community Garage is a natural extension of being an instructor, whether it’s in a classroom or in the passenger seat.

“Motorsports is this incredibly rich activity and through it you can teach everything from time management to budgeting to mechanical skill, setting and prioritizing goals,” Santiago said. “It’s all the things that you need to be really successful in life. You can find ways to use it as an educational moment, so I wanted to blend my passion for teaching and mentoring with my passion for motorsports.”

The group meets twice a week, either at the high school when it’s in session or at The Autobarn Service Center in Evanston. Additionally, Santiago takes students once a month to a NASA event, a pro race or a shop tour.

The Community Garage doesn’t charge the 10 students to participate in the program, covering meals and housing when they attend races, often staying at the track. Among the annual trips is a visit to Daytona International Speedway.

How John Santiago Builds Automotive Career Pathways

“They do get a very good exposure to the full track life and what that looks like,” Santiago said. “They learn that community, that commitment to your friends and your track family.”

Students can see a pathway in the automotive industry, whether it’s working as a mechanic for Tesla or becoming a professional driver. Most students want to drive, but Santiago said there is a process to get there.

If students prove their interest by regularly attending the garage and going to track events, Santiago will approach them about being sponsored to drive. If a student doesn’t have their own car, The Community Garage has a Nissan 350Z or a Spec Iron Mustang. They are developing an NB Miata and Volkswagen Passat for the track, and a street prep for an NA Miata.

“We kind of have a ladder system for our cars, from a very mundane car to a little more spicy car,” Santiago said.

Either Santiago or one of the group’s instructors will right seat with the students, running the car during HPDE sessions. Other students serve on the crew, while some students are just interested in watching the races.

“If we have a kid who’s interested in photography and we happen to know the photographer that’s onsite, we’ll hook them up,” Santiago said. “I can facilitate connections like that.”

High school junior Khalyd Rogers started participating in The Community Garage in October. Having recently turned 16, Rogers plans to get his driver’s license in November and eventually drive one of the cars on the track. Rogers has helped take out engines and transmissions in The Community Garage, building on what he has learned from his father.

“I definitely have a strong interest in this, but I also do have other prospects that I’m looking towards,” Rogers said. “If I do ever have the chance to be in a motorsports career, I’d love to have that. Honestly, that would be something I really cherish but I’ve always kept an open mind.”

Santiago has been driving for about 20 years and has been part of the HPDE 1 leadership for nearly eight years. The 53-year-old has done time trials, endurance racing and wheel-to-wheel racing in the Spec Iron Mustang. His son, Alejandro, has since joined him at the track.

“When my son started to drive, I stepped back a little bit and let him be the primary driver,” said Santiago, who with his wife, Francis, also has daughters Gaby and Camila. “So, these days I’ve been doing a lot of instruction, and I drive once in a while.”

Santiago is usually instructing when The Community Garage students are at the track, so it requires coordination with the other instructors. They’ll have a morning meeting with the kids to review goals and what needs to be accomplished for the day. The students are encouraged to explore their interests at the track once their tasks are complete.

John Santiago on Track Accountability

Whether it’s in the classroom or at the track, Santiago is always teaching. Santiago has gotten his share of double takes when he tells people he’s a college philosophy professor who races cars. When asked why, his answer is simple: Accountability.

“There is something about the unmistakable accountability of being on track,” he said. “There is no room to offer a counter argument, there’s no room to offer an interpretation when you’re sliding off the track. That’s firm and absolute accountability.

“In many parts of modern life, people seem to escape. If you hit somebody, we immediately call lawyers because you want to pretend that you weren’t responsible. Or you didn’t turn in your assignment on time, and you want to say that the dog ate it or my printer didn’t work.

“There are so many layers to modern life that allow people to avoid accountability. I actually relish in the unmistakable accountability of the track.”

As a product of The Community Garage, Reed would encourage other students to participate. The program deeply reinforced and shaped his career direction.

“He has shown me and made me experience things in life that I don’t think I would have been able to experience before,” Reed said. “I think he’s a really great guy. Any time he would take us to the track or we would be working on a car with him, if he talked, you ought to listen. He’s going to say something that could probably change your life.”