We are a rookie team coming from Toyota’s Service Parts and Accessories Development group. This is the second year our department has sent a team to the Rebelle, and we both jumped at the opportunity! Our driver, Heather, is an accessories planner, with a lifelong passion in vehicles and off-roading, and is currently working on the Truck and SUV team. Our navigator, Sophia, is a new engineer with the company, having worked on automotive project teams in college and is currently working on product development for our performance and interior products. Before joining the team, we had only worked together on a few projects but have really enjoyed getting to know each other. Thank you, Toyota, for giving us the opportunity and supporting us in the Rebelle Rally!
Toyota Motor North America, Service Parts & Accessory Development
By day I work for Toyota, as an Accessory Planner, for the Service Parts Accessory and Development team. I work with an amazing group of people, where I manage Genuine accessories unique to multiple Toyota vehicles. Planning accessories is like playing in a crayon box, picking the right accessory to fit our customers’ interests, needs, and lifestyle choices, with an array of customization options. By night, I am full time dog mom, mother to 2 beautiful children, and a wife.
Mckinney, TX
California State Long Beach, BS Business Marketing. Southern New Hampshire University, Masters in Sport Management
“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.” — Mandy Hale
I am a Toyota legacy; my father, my father n Law, my husband, and now myself, all have worked for Toyota over the years.
Working for Toyota was the first time I heard about the Rebelle Rally. I was hooked on the moment I learned about it. I’m always looking for new opportunities to challenge myself; and although my children do that for me each and every day, the Rebelle was something new and different. It’s uniquely structured to push someone outside their comfort zone, force them to learn who they are, and find out what they are truly capable of. Some would be scared to that on, but it fueled me to want to learn more. It’s a unique opportunity for me to grow as an individual and as a leader. I’m truly blessed to be supported by an amazing company, Toyota, who gave me an opportunity of a lifetime.
My parents are my biggest inspiration. They both worked so hard when I was growing up to give me every opportunity. Never holding me back from the next adventure and always supporting everything I do. I hope to be that rock for my kiddos too.
My favorite shows: 1) Criminal Minds 2) The Night Agent 3) Expedition Unknown
Raising our children has been my greatest adventure to date. Always learning something new and they challenge me every day to be a better person.
It is about life experience. My goal for the Rally is to push myself to think outside the box and not get comfortable. This Rally is about taking chances and trying new things. Most importantly, have fun and explore the world around me.
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling in our RV and just hanging out. My children are heavily involved in Scouts, and I attend as many of their adventures as I can. On the weekends, I play soccer in a Women’s adult rec league.
I have a limited background in motorsports. My husband and I have always had a love of cars; both with racing in SCCA Solo2 and or off-roading locally for fun. Toyota has provided me with many amazing opportunities over the years through training. I hope to take each of my learnings and drive for knowledge and embrace the Rebelle Rally with open arms.
I rode in a helicopter and chased a trophy truck through the desert. And rode in that trophy truck traveling at over 100MPH through the desert.
Working for Toyota, my dad would always bring home the latest vehicles Toyota had to offer. I have special memories with my dad, taking each of these vehicles out for a spin around the neighborhood. My husband now does it for our children. It’s funny to listen to them critic each vehicle.
I am the kind of person who gets excited about the mundane things in life, like the sound of bugs on a summer night and the monotonous tick of a clock. I carry this curiosity into everything that I do, trying to learn as much as I can about the world around me.
I am an accessory development engineer in Toyota's Service Parts and Accessories Development group. Growing up surrounded by automotive enthusiasts, I've always known I wanted to work in the industry. People like to customize their vehicles to really make them "their own," and I find it very fulfilling to work on products that improve people's everyday experience with our vehicles. I work on a mix of accessories - performance parts and interior parts. So, I get to work on a good range of products!
Frisco, Texas
Texas A&M University, B. S. in Mechanical Engineering
"Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough." R. Feynman
My first pet was a turtle - I had found it in my pool.
I had heard about the Rebelle from one of my friends at university - we had both gotten jobs at the same company, and she had the opportunity to compete on a team. After looking into it, I was blown away by what they were doing. A few years later I had an opportunity to join a team and I jumped on it.
I tend to not look outwards for inspiration in day-to-day life, but I do try to be the kind of person that my younger self would look up to. Everyone's circumstances are different, and comparison is the theft of joy - so, I try not to get caught up in how other people's lives appear.
My top 3 are Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (TV), Avatar the Last Airbender (TV), and The Way of Kings (Book).
Last year, my partner and I borrowed a small plane to fly along the Central Californian coast. We flew up to San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge, down along the coastline, and stopped at a few small beaches throughout the trip. While it may not be as "grand" as other adventures, it's one of my favorite memories over the past few years.
I'm here to learn about navigation and for some life experience - this is my first time doing this kind of event, so I'll be doing my best!
Outside of work, I like to make props. Being able to make objects come to life from movies, games, and books is really fun and fulfilling! I get to work with many different mediums and learn a variety of hands-on skills.
I don't really have a background in motorsports - a few years ago I had worked on my University's SAE Baja team, but I was on the design side. However, keeping that experience and being a rookie team in mind, I am approaching the Rebelle with a more conservative mindset. Go slow to go fast!
I got to work on a concept car! I was used to fast paced environments from college project teams, but it was really exciting to see that after I started working in industry.
This doesn’t necessarily involve a specific car, but one day when I was visiting home from University, I had a conversation with my dad about what I had been up to. At the time, I had been on one of the University's SAE teams for a few years and had just gotten my first internship at Toyota - I was really excited to get into the automotive field. He then went on to tell me about his project cars (two Datsun 510s) and the "car group" he was a part of when he was young. Although it may seem mundane, it was really nice to hear all of those stories that he never got around to telling before.
