Students drive to school in style

BVH+student+Kristopher+Belladeres%E2%80%99+red+2015+Mustang+in+the+parking+lot+in+front+of%0Athe+gym.+It+is+one+of+the+few+cars+from+his+fathers+collection.

Jaylen Gladney

BVH student Kristopher Belladeres’ red 2015 Mustang in the parking lot in front of the gym. It is one of the few cars from his fathers collection.

Gabriella Bomjardim, Photographer
April 15, 2022

Sunlight beams off the shiny hoods of polished cars sitting in the Bonita Vista High (BVH) main parking lot. From the light blue Ford Ranger that drove from miles across the Mexican border, to a 1970’s Cougar built by a student’s own hands. 

There is diversity when it comes to the selection of a vehicle for some students, from the year of release to the colors it comes in. BVH students share unique stories and relationships with their selection of cars. Junior Nolan Kuemmerle owns a 1989 Ford Ranger XLT brought from Mexico around the year 2019 over the Mexican border to Bonita.

“I bumped into the [Ford Ranger] by coincidence. I was walking my dog and I saw it, it had a little dollar sign on the back of the window,” Kuemmerle said. “Honestly, I like old cars and I like trucks and thought why not [buy it], so I asked if they were selling it and two days later [the owner] sold it to me.”

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I feel like every car defines how a person is because you make a car what you wanna be, you’re gonna wanna make it based on your personality.

— senior Kristopher Balladares

Kuemmerle’s passion for cars was greatly influenced by his father who shares his enjoyment for cars. Kuemmerle adds that his interest allows him to bond with the Ford Ranger, as he even named the vehicle. Kuemmerle also mentions that when in Mexico prior to buying his car, the model was common and popular.

“[Owning a car is] a lot of freedom as it means independence from my family. It’s really exciting to me and that was one of the first things I wanted when I moved here [to America],”  Kuemmerle said. 

Junior Elizabeth Greeno, a passionate car owner, drives a black Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep is a placeholder for her 1970 Cougar that is in the process of being built. She is building the Cougar herself with the help of family relatives familiar with the process of car collecting and building.

“I grew up working on cars with my grandparents and my dad, so they are huge car collectors and as a birthday gift they basically gave me the shell of the car. They said I have to build [a Cougar] in order to have a working car,” Greeno said.

Greeno earns money for the building process through babysitting and completing work around her house. She shares that she has been collecting most of the parts needed but has to fix certain sections of the car. Through the building process, she adds that she has bonded with her car through the hardships, and although it currently isn’t driveable, she has created many memories. 

“Cars are kind of like my escape, so for me, my car is my world. I want to be a professional race car driver when I’m older so this car is like the start of all of that, so it’s really meaningful for me,” Greeno said. 

Senior Kristopher Balladares drives a 2015 Mustang. Although the car belongs to his father, there are instances where Balladares is allowed to drive it to school and elsewhere. Balladares adds that his father has a collection of two 1965 Mustangs, the 2015 Mustang and a 1966 Mustang.

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“So what [Balladares father] does is he lets me use one of the mustangs of my choice if he is not using it. Preferably, I would use the 2015 [mustang] because it’s newer and it’s a stick shift car, so it’s different [from other cars],” Balladares said.

According to Balladares, as a child, he shared no interest in cars until he began watching the Fast and Furious movie series; action films largely concerned with street racing, heists, and family. He viewed the several different models and experiences the vehicles provided for drivers throughout the movies. Balladares shared an experience with his father’s 2015 mustang and feels as though it can be used for many opportunities and events with family in the future.

“I feel like every car defines how a person is because you make a car what you wanna be, you’re gonna wanna make it based on your personality,” Balladares said.

Kuemmerle, Greene and Balladares have shared common bonds with the cars that they drive and built. Students share many unique experiences with their cars, ranging from the purchase of vehicle parts to a car being brought from over the Mexican border. 

“I feel like when you own a car you have a lot more independence. You feel like you are maturing in a way and starting to get into adulthood,” Balladares said.