Mychal Warren '21 founds Dream Rides Entrepreneurship, a non-profit focused on inspiring young minds

Mychal Warren ’21 has always been a huge car fanatic. From a young age while in grade school, Mychal would bring along model cars to class with him, considering them just as essential as his pencil and papers. He would set them on his desk as he would work through the day and would admire each model’s unique characteristics. He remembers one time when he was in a booster seat in the car and saw a Ford GT out the window. He began to cry, as he was worried that one day, he wouldn’t be able to buy one, drive one, or experience this incredible piece of machinery. Going forward, Mychal knew he wanted to be able to own his dream car.

 

Nodding heads to his entrepreneurial side, Mychal mowed lawns from 3^rd grade to 8^th grade. This job taught him about being a self-starter, a motivated business owner, and how to handle customer negotiations and feel rewarded for hard and honest work.

 

Nearing the end of his middle school years, he started doing automotive photography. He figured since he was too young to own one, he could start by taking pictures of them to gain as much experience with the cars as possible. This became something he really loved and gave him the opportunity to become up close and personal with vehicles he dreamed of one day being able to own and drive. Mychal made business cards for his business and would spread them at any opportunity he could at car meets, parking lots, events, etc. Despite his efforts, he never received a call for nearly two years. “This taught me that there is no reason to be scared to put yourself out there, the worst someone can say is ‘no’. The more opportunities you give yourself to succeed, the better.”

 

Throughout high school, Mychal had always wanted to take a performance car on a racetrack. His graduation gift was a trip to Austin to experience a track day. He had the opportunity to meet and learn from a retired Ferrari race car driver. Mychal experienced two full days at this man’s private track. “It was one of the best days of my life, so many dreams I had as a kid came true that day,” said Warren. “It was just me, the car, and the track and I could focus entirely on that.”

 

After the track days, Mychal knew there was more he could do. “I thought to myself, I just had the best day of my entire life. All it took was two hours on the track, and an unparalleled sense of motivation overcame me. How can I share this experience with someone else, not just for a fun time, but for that motivation I felt?” he thought. This was where the idea for Dream Rides Entrepreneurship began.

 

“I originally thought that I’ll just take these kids on the track and have them get motivated and move on. Eventually, however, there is no change. They go back to the same situation they were in before.” With this in mind, Mychal decided to make a 5-week curriculum that would play to the strengths of what he and serial entrepreneurs found important to become knowledgeable and successful. After they finished this coursework, they go on the track and get to experience a full-fledged race day. Mychal emphasized how all the skills the students will learn will be applicable to any job that they take one day

 

During the first four weeks of the program, the students will come in and take notes while they get the chance to listen to a hand-picked group of entrepreneurs that want to help inspire young minds. Entrepreneurs will come in and speak to the students, talk about struggles, stories, etc.

 

Once that is done, the students will have a full Q&A session with the entrepreneurs, followed by receiving an entrepreneurship kit. These kits have all the supplies they need to start a business of their choice. The program consists of four different versions of these ‘entrepreneurial kits’ that follow each week of speakers. The entrepreneur speakers involved with the program range widely, from previously experiencing homelessness to throwing large sneaker conventions with tens of thousands of people!

 

On 5^th week of the Dream Rides program, Mychal and his team take them in a bus to MSR Houston. MSR will be the location of a large car meet, complete with cars ranging in value upwards of $4 million. After students have enjoyed the incredible cars on display, certified volunteers will take them onto the track to enjoy a hot lap of fun in exotic and high-performance vehicles. 

 

Mychal attributes so much of his passion for this program to Strake Jesuit and the school’s mantra, ‘Man for Others.’ “I wouldn’t do it without this idea of being a Man for Others being drilled into me at Jesuit each day. Community service hours were huge as well, learning that going to extra mile for others in need is a necessary part of our humanity. Going into freshman year, service hours were a drag. After senior year, my mind was changed 180 degrees about what it meant to give back to others through acts of service. I fully recognize that I am the absolute minutia of people to have this opportunity. Since I have this chance, I need to pay it forward to others.”

 

Warren finished by sating “I don’t want it to be about me, I want it to be about the other kids. I want to take all the energy others have put into me and put it into other people.”

 

Dream Rides Entrepreneurship will hold its event and graduation experience for the students at MSR (1 Performance Drive, Angleton, TX 77515) on Saturday, June 11^th, 2022 at 9am. Contact Mychal Warren ‘21 at dreamridesentrepreneurship@gmail.com if you’d like to help him with his efforts and/or attend the event!