thedrifter
10-02-03, 05:35 PM
Lowriders break through boundaries
Capt. Will Klumpp
Public Affairs Officer
Think lowriders are only the custom vehicles of “gangstas” and thugs? Think again, said Lance Cpl. Michael J. McSellers.
For McSellers, an administration clerk with Headquarters Company, Marine Corps Engineer School, a lowrider is a creation born of a passion for cars and the enjoyment of working on them.
“People go fishing or golfing. This is my hobby,” said the 21-year old from East St. Louis, Ill.
McSellers has been customizing cars as a hobby for nearly two years. He is currently working on a 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix that already garnered him awards including a third-place trophy during a large car show in Wilmington, N.C. Although he hopes to have his car featured in a publication such as Lowrider magazine, this Marine says the real reward is using his off-duty time constructively to create his personal work of art.
“People will stereotype when they see a lowrider,” said McSellers, but he adds that the stereotypes are often misguided and those with lowriders are not necessarily young people looking for mischief. He is a member of “Low Level,” a local car club that epitomizes the diversity of individuals who love to create custom lowrider cars and trucks.
“Our club has people of different races, different age groups, a business owner and even a physician,” states McSellers. At car shows, you will see age groups ranging from teens to those in their 40s and 50s.
“Low Level” gives McSellers a chance to meet people outside the Marine Corps, something he believes is a positive thing for service members. “Whenever you meet someone outside the Corps, you form important relationships. You may be able to go to them for something or have them come to you with a need.”
The car club also provides him a chance to learn many aspects of customizing cars and complete projects without putting too much strain on his budget.
“In a club, everyone knows how to do something. I’m learning to paint, do interiors and other stuff. It helps save a lot of money, because I buy the paint or the stereo or the hydraulics, and I help the people as they do the work.” McSellers believes the skills he is learning from other members of the car club may just be profitable for him in the future, an added benefit for times of financial uncertainty.
The work of he and his fellow car enthusiasts is not just for personal gain or recognition.
McSellers says a car show he participated in recently collected money for the Ronald McDonald House. He also plans to donate whatever money he makes during car shows to Abundant Life Baptist Church here in Jacksonville, his “home away from home.”
McSellers, a Marine since July 2000, plans to continue working on his car, but other plans may soon take him from active duty to the reserves. He hopes to land a job as a Virginia State Trooper when he leaves active duty in nine months. He has completed the required written test, physical fitness test and background check, and is awaiting a personal interview and polygraph test.
McSellers loves the Marine Corps, but he experienced some frustration at not being able to deploy during recent combat operations in Iraq.
“If you’re on a football team, and you go to the championship, but you don’t play in the game, you don’t feel like you played a big part in the win,” says McSellers. “I know I can make a difference as a trooper,” he adds.
In addition to continuing his service in the Marine Corps Reserve, becoming a state trooper, and customizing cars, McSellers also plans to go back to school to earn a criminal justice degree.
McSellers current activities and future plans reflect ideas he would gladly share with those Marines around him… “Don’t just live in the present, but think about how the future is affected by your actions. Find something that interests you and will keep you out of trouble. And, don’t let anyone discourage you.”
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Capt. Will Klumpp
Public Affairs Officer
Think lowriders are only the custom vehicles of “gangstas” and thugs? Think again, said Lance Cpl. Michael J. McSellers.
For McSellers, an administration clerk with Headquarters Company, Marine Corps Engineer School, a lowrider is a creation born of a passion for cars and the enjoyment of working on them.
“People go fishing or golfing. This is my hobby,” said the 21-year old from East St. Louis, Ill.
McSellers has been customizing cars as a hobby for nearly two years. He is currently working on a 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix that already garnered him awards including a third-place trophy during a large car show in Wilmington, N.C. Although he hopes to have his car featured in a publication such as Lowrider magazine, this Marine says the real reward is using his off-duty time constructively to create his personal work of art.
“People will stereotype when they see a lowrider,” said McSellers, but he adds that the stereotypes are often misguided and those with lowriders are not necessarily young people looking for mischief. He is a member of “Low Level,” a local car club that epitomizes the diversity of individuals who love to create custom lowrider cars and trucks.
“Our club has people of different races, different age groups, a business owner and even a physician,” states McSellers. At car shows, you will see age groups ranging from teens to those in their 40s and 50s.
“Low Level” gives McSellers a chance to meet people outside the Marine Corps, something he believes is a positive thing for service members. “Whenever you meet someone outside the Corps, you form important relationships. You may be able to go to them for something or have them come to you with a need.”
The car club also provides him a chance to learn many aspects of customizing cars and complete projects without putting too much strain on his budget.
“In a club, everyone knows how to do something. I’m learning to paint, do interiors and other stuff. It helps save a lot of money, because I buy the paint or the stereo or the hydraulics, and I help the people as they do the work.” McSellers believes the skills he is learning from other members of the car club may just be profitable for him in the future, an added benefit for times of financial uncertainty.
The work of he and his fellow car enthusiasts is not just for personal gain or recognition.
McSellers says a car show he participated in recently collected money for the Ronald McDonald House. He also plans to donate whatever money he makes during car shows to Abundant Life Baptist Church here in Jacksonville, his “home away from home.”
McSellers, a Marine since July 2000, plans to continue working on his car, but other plans may soon take him from active duty to the reserves. He hopes to land a job as a Virginia State Trooper when he leaves active duty in nine months. He has completed the required written test, physical fitness test and background check, and is awaiting a personal interview and polygraph test.
McSellers loves the Marine Corps, but he experienced some frustration at not being able to deploy during recent combat operations in Iraq.
“If you’re on a football team, and you go to the championship, but you don’t play in the game, you don’t feel like you played a big part in the win,” says McSellers. “I know I can make a difference as a trooper,” he adds.
In addition to continuing his service in the Marine Corps Reserve, becoming a state trooper, and customizing cars, McSellers also plans to go back to school to earn a criminal justice degree.
McSellers current activities and future plans reflect ideas he would gladly share with those Marines around him… “Don’t just live in the present, but think about how the future is affected by your actions. Find something that interests you and will keep you out of trouble. And, don’t let anyone discourage you.”
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: