Graphic by Samantha Rose

When my dad was sixteen years old, all he wanted was a 1984 blue Chevrolet Corvette. It was the “it” car, the car that would compliment his popped collar and get all the girls. Unfortunately, his parents were unable to pay for the fresh four wheel drive and he was left in the dust. Until, one day he decided to get a job at his family’s restaurant and work for his dream car. Two years and countless overtime hours later, my dad strolled into his local Chevrolet car dealership and bought his dream car himself. To this day, my dad considers that car to be one of his most prized possessions – and it is not because of the 300 horsepower engine, or the shiny blue powder paint, or even the luxurious leather seats – but because of how much pride he took in buying it himself.
Something that I consider to be highly important in life is hard work and dedication. Whether it be running a business, working on a research paper, or even participating in a group activity – being dedicated to the task at hand and putting forth all of your effort is essential to efficiency and success. I learned this sense of determination from my father. As previously described, my dad’s dream car didn’t come to him easily. He worked harder than any of the other employees on the job at the restaurant, and still made time to finish homework. While some may think it’s “just a car,” it proves to be an excellent example of how dreams can come true if you try hard enough. This quality is not one-dimensional, either. With hard work comes respect, integrity and knowledge. By completely dedicating yourself to a task, the sky is truly the limit.
A real hard worker and enthusiast of Chevrolet cars is the current CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra. She worked in the company for over 30 years before finally being promoted to CEO in 2014. Barra served in areas ranging from manufacturing to engineering, adapting to her given field and wholeheartedly dedicating herself to it. She is not only the first woman to be the CEO of a car company, but she is also the first person in her family to attend college. In a recent interview with ABC News, she stated “When I started here 33 years ago, I had no idea that this is the role I’d be playing. I approached every position as if I was going to be doing it for the rest of my life. I think it’s a very strong message in how hard work pays off.”
Now, we all don’t have to work in cars to be driven. Hard work isn’t defined by what you do, but how you do it. It’s time to turn off cruise control, and dedicate ourselves wholly to a task. By doing this, we can achieve success and inspire others to do the same.