“Kettering University graduate inspires innovation as 'Freedom Skater,' traveling country in roller blades and cape” |
| Posted: 17 Oct 2010 07:13 AM PDT FLINT, Michigan — Austin Szelkowski is traveling across the country with an American flag, in-line skates and a cape. He's been mistaken for Captain America, blends right in with the diverse crowds of Manhattan and has been called "crazy" by friends back home in Michigan. But the recent Kettering University mechanical engineering graduate, whose ensemble also includes a crash helmet, wrist guards and bright red shorts, prefers the title "Freedom Skater." The 24-year-old's quest: to inspire his generation to be pioneers, chase dreams and blaze their own trails — a message he plans to deliver on skates. The Fowlerville native started a 3,000-mile journey from the Statue of Liberty last month, planning to "skate across America" on a yearlong, town-to-town crusade to give inspirational speeches about pursuing passions without fear. "I thought, 'Why don't I just "Forrest Gump" my way across the country to carry my message?'<2009>" he said in a phone interview froton last week. "I wanted to carry this message of entrepreneurship, pioneering and trailblazing to my generation, to encourage them to think big, because I think that's the only way we can solve our country's economic problems. "We need people who have the courage to take that first step into the unknown to make the impossible happen." Traveling with a red and blue striped motor home he calls the "freedom mobile," he started his adventure in New York City and is continuing toward Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and Raleigh, N.C., then west toward his destination, California. He has some planned stops, with speaking opportunities at Harvard University, Yale University and Wellesley College. But he plans to skate into towns spontaneously, doing fundraising along the way and with a sponsor backing him. Szelkowski hopes to be a model of how to make a passion come alive — no matter how far-fetched. For an example of risk, his audiences need only look at the 6-foot-tall college grad on skates, who opted to spend a year as the "Freedom Skater" over getting a job. The giant American flag that flies alongside him is a symbol of his mission. "I truly believe that true freedom is found when we find our passions and actually do what we're most passionate about," he said. "I had the passion to inspire young people to go after their dreams, and that's what I'm doing. "I know there are people in college and high school who are trailblazers and independent thinkers. They just don't know it." He hopes to invoke an entrepreneurial revolution that will "revitalize not only the American economy but also the American spirit of courage, hard work, passion and liberty." Szelkowski said he took the spirit of entrepreneurship encouraged at Kettering and ran — er — skated with it. He had no funding and no connections to speak of, just his seemingly wacky idea of making a business out of motivational speaking that was born while waiting tables at a Brighton restaurant after graduating in December 2009. Mentors at the Brighton-based Insights group and Kettering helped him shape a sustainable plan. Timing and luck also linked him to a New York company, American Pioneer Ventures, which is sponsoring Szelkowski's journey. The company provided Szelkowski with the motor home, driven by Szelkowski's 18-year-old business partner, Dillon Norton of Brighton, who is filming the journey for a future documentary. Szelkowski has found other creative resources, including bartering website services in exchange for all-he-can-eat pizza at a Manhattan pizzeria. "Most people think it's crazy," he said. "I still think it's crazy. That's why I'm doing it." "But I believe if you have passion and conviction and courage to make it happen, the connections you need will find you. It's just a matter of time." Mechanical engineering professor Massoud Tavakoli, a founding faculty member of the Kettering Entrepreneur Society, admitted that when Szelkowski first presented his idea to the group, it did sound a bit "out there." But there was a true business plan behind it. "This is not just a guy in a cape going down the highway. It's not simply a publicity stunt," Tavakoli said. "He has put a lot of thought into this. "It's a unique entrepreneurial venture. He's starting with a few dollars and has to sustain himself for some time before he can be paid dividends for it. That's what any entrepreneur has to face." It is just the kind of creativity and gusto Kettering officials have tried to instill in students, with many recent efforts focused on teaching them to have an entrepreneurial mindset. "We're telling our students the jobs of the future are not as well-defined as the jobs in our past," Tavakoli said. "You define your own jobs from here on out. "Austin thought about how he could make a business out of motivational speaking ... and he said, 'I'm going to make the world notice me.' My hat's off to him." But it was a tough sell for some. "We were, like, 'Wow, this is way out there,' " said Szelkowski's mom, Peggy. "As a parent, you're concerned because you want them to be safe, but I'm also a firm believer in letting my kids live their own dreams and not mine." She said she was most worried about how he would finance his trip and where he would stay. But she said her son is an engaging speaker, and she believes he will invoke others to take the first step toward an untapped dream. "His mission makes sense. I was just hoping there would be an easier way to get the word out," she said with a laugh. "Too many people live their life hating their job, and too many people are afraid to step out and pursue something they feel strongly about. He's hoping to challenge them in a new direction, and I think he will." 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