Fourteen-year-old Haven Jarel is here to remind the world what the American Dream is all about.
Haven and his father, Mark, live in a warehouse that was converted into a fully equipped workshop -- or, as Mark calls it, a dream factory.
Haven's two-wheeled dreams began at age three, when his father jokingly promised him a motorcycle when he could ride his bike without training wheels
The very next day Haven's training wheels came off and he pedaled down the road, albeit tipping over at the end. Haven didn’t cry when he fell; he just looked his dad in the eye and said, “Can I have my motorcycle now?”
Ever since, Haven has been in love with motorcycles. “I just thought it was so cool that I could go so fast, and everything was a blur, and I got to do it myself,” Haven said. “I was really free and I think I always held on to that.”
Now, Haven's taken to building anything that moves on wheels. He doesn’t watch TV or play video games. Instead, he’s absorbed in his craft and lets his creativity flow freely.
His most recent accomplishment was to convert an old trail bike - which is basically a more robust motocross bike - into a full-fledged motorcycle, a feat that won him third place in a bike-building competition where he competed against adults.
“The condition it was in when I got it was not like it is now,” Haven remembered. “Most people would’ve seen it as a hunk of junk, but I had a vision in my mind of what I could do with it.”
“When they started doing the announcements I thought that maybe I could get an honorable mention,” Haven continued. “[The announcer] said my name and I went up and it was the craziest thing I’ve ever felt in my whole life.”
“It was really cool to be his dad and watch all of that happen.” Haven’s father said. “It was great to see him succeed on his own.”
This is what growing up in America is all about -- parents helping to nurture their children’s natural talents and allowing them to grow, innovate and succeed by their own merit.