In 2011, I graduated from Gwynedd-Mercy college with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice. I graduated as a member of three honors societies and the president of two organizations- Psi Chi, The International Honors Society of Psychology, was one of them. Last night, I was asked to return to give the keynote speech as a new batch of students were inducted. It was a true honor and an experience that I will hold dear to my heart, always.
As you may come to expect, my speech did not fall short on the Mopar content. I thought you all might like to take a listen. More importantly, I hope you all feel a bit more inspired at the end of it.
Good evening,
everyone. My name is Michaela and I am a
2011 graduate of Gwynedd-Mercy. Six
years ago I sat in those very seats anxiously awaiting the moment where the
current president would hand the gavel over to me. As I sat there, hoping I didn’t stumble in my
high heels and praying I wouldn’t forget my carefully planned speech, I felt
like I was about to take on the world.
Well, I have…I still am, and I’m excited to be here privileged with the
honor of sharing my story with you.
To preface, I want to
share a bit about myself. My life has
been a roller coaster ride of triumph and tragedy linked together by my undying
faith that I am meant for greatness, even if that greatness is only in the eyes
of one person. I had a flawless
upbringing- two loving parents whose sole dedication was making sure that my
sisters and I were well cared for and well rounded. I lost myself in high school and college was
simply a matter of applications that I didn’t care to fill out. Little did I now, it would end up being the
place in which I would find myself.
Shortly after graduating, I lost something greater than myself, I lost
my mom to an undetected brain aneurysm.
My hopes of grad school and my career aspirations were crippled by grief
and new found responsibility.
Fueled by the desire to
exhume contentment amidst my heartache, I turned to my childhood dream of
restoring an old Mopar. Fueled by the
desire to leave a legacy my momma would be proud of, I went on to build an
automotive empire, which encourages young women to disregard the male dominance
of the hobby and prove that they can hold their own as an automotive
enthusiast. I’ve since gained thousands
of international followers, I’ve been featured in an assortment of muscle car
magazines, I’m a guest blogger on the largest Mopar fan site on the web, and I
even run my own blog and Facebook fan page.
I’ve been featured on the TV show, “Classic Restos”, and have restored
three vehicles belonging to a Grammy nominated, ACM award winning
singer/songwriter out of Nashville, TN.
I share this with you
because I can assume that since you are all being inducted into PsiChi, the
International Honor Society of Psychology, you have some interest in what molds
a person. We can talk about nature and
nurture, ringing bells and salivating dogs, and which parts of the iceberg you
see and which parts you don’t see… But instead, I want to talk about this
moment…and all of the moments that brought you here, with me, tonight. I want to talk about this moment…and all of
the moments that you will have because of tonight.
I share my story with
you because six years ago, when I experienced the honor that you all are about
to, I unknowingly laid a very large piece of the foundation on which I would
construct my dream come true. So, how
does a Psych Honors Society help someone make a name in the automotive
industry? I’ll tell you….
I was lucky, as are all
of you, because my initiation into PsiChi strengthened the relationship I had
with Dr. Gullan and the two organizations she facilitated. As I was sitting in that chair- ya know,
worried about falling or forgetting my speech, I had this little spark
glimmering underneath me. I didn’t even
know it at the time. Dr. Gullan knew
it. And, she struck a match and ignited
that little spark and a short five months later, in conjunction with the
Psychology Club, we held ‘Hot Rides For Heroes,’ a classic car show benefiting
veterans returning to the states with PTSD.
Amidst expecting her
first child, Dr. Gullan dedicated hours to helping me pull off my very own car
show. Just weeks after having Grace,
there she was with her family supporting me at the car show. Had she not expressed such an interest in
helping me combine my passions and succeed, I would have never been able to
pull off ‘Hot Rides For Heroes.’
We raised an impressive
amount of money that day, and seventy-five cars showed up. Listening to those rumbling V8’s echo against
the archway of trees at the campus entrance was musical to me.
For those unfamiliar
with the car show process, I had begun handing out fliers for the September
event in May. I would introduce myself
to different muscle car owners at different shows. Two gentlemen, who I still run into at local
shows, could not believe that I was as interested in the hobby as I
claimed. One of them stood up, popped
the hood on his ’69 Plymouth and asked me what engine it had. I answered correctly and he proclaimed,
“Well, you’re like the real life Miss Mopar.”
I laughed, handed him my flier, and moved on. By midsummer, we’d pull into a car show in my
Dad’s Chrysler, and people would greet me with “Hey Miss Mopar!” I felt like a super star!
When ‘Hot Ride’s For
Heroes’ rolled around, people were acknowledging me as Miss Mopar more often
than they called me by name. It stuck
and one year later, I launched my Miss Mopar Facebook Fan Page which is now the
only personalized female based Mopar fan page on Facebook that has exceeded
twenty thousand unpaid followers.
Had I not had the
support of Dr. Gullan, I would have never held a car show and I would have
never been deemed with such a prestigious title. Being a part of this organization and a
student at Gwynedd-Mercy continues to remind me that when someone has a little
faith in you, your options are endless. As
you sit here today, you’re making a promise to yourself that your future will
be bright. It doesn’t mean that you
won’t have to work hard… skin some knuckles and cry some tears. But it means that you can set out to
accomplish anything your heart desires.
To conclude- the road of
life is a miraculous thing. You never
know if the next moment will consume you with joy or heartache, hope or
discouragement. But, you also never know
what the moment after that will hold either.
All a dream needs is a
little gasoline…and right now, you’re at the pump! You may travel flat dessert
highways full of routine. You may travel
curvy country back roads. You may be in
stop and go city traffic. Maybe you ride
alone. Maybe you ride with a special
someone. Maybe you let someone off or
pick someone up at the next stop. There
is no right and there is no wrong. There
is no timeline…dreams don’t work that way, trust me. But what matters is that you roll down the
windows, sing…even if it’s out of tune, and enjoy every mile of the drive! Don’t curse the detours; you might see a
beautiful view. Don’t fret the pounding
rain on the windshield, for it is a reminder that the sun will shine
again. A fender bender? Think of it as
proof that, like broken hearts and shattered dreams, all things will mend in
time. You never know what a dream will amount to, but you’ve got to fuel up and
go.
I’m excited to be here
tonight, sharing in the moment in which you do just that. I wish you all of the best where ever the
road of life may take you.
Thank you for having me this evening!
