The world is filled with success stories.  We hear about people overcoming daily challenges, struggles, and having to constantly get back on their feet after getting knocked down in pursuit of reaching their dreams and goals.  What if your dream was seemingly simple?  What if your dream was to one day own a Mustang, something most of us take for granted?  For Andrew Hughes, this one seemingly impossible dream has now become a reality.  

While growing up in New York City, Hughes has truly lived the hard knock life. Born in 1990 from Manhattan and raised in Queens, Hughes is from a lower income family and had nothing more than a hope and dream.  He tells us how his dream began, “It all started when my uncle had a 1976 mustang as his first car. He hated it!  He allowed me to steer it when I was about four years old.  I will never forget that day of driving his Candy Apple Red Ford Mustang through the run down streets of Queens!  I couldn’t help but see the potential and noticed while growing up the potential in the Mustang.  It was love at first sight!  Ever since I was able to walk and talk, all I have ever wanted to do was have a Mustang of my own.”

Life for young Hughes was always a struggle.  For many years he remembers crying, feeling broken, and almost accepting defeat as his family tried to make ends meet.  He couldn’t help but think that the idea of owning a Mustang would only be a hope and dream and nothing more than that.  With financial difficulty and family obligations, owning a Mustang seemed like it would never happen. Hughes tells us “When I turned eighteen I started to work my butt off.  I became a car salesman right out of high school.  I was around cars all day- Corvettes, Camaros, cars of all shapes and sizes but all I could ever think about or want was a Mustang.  I worked hard every day for years and I now stand before you as a proud Mustang owner!”

Today Hughes is not only a proud Mustang owner, but this is actually his second Mustang. His first mustang was a Zinc Yellow 2002 GT (which was soon to be a Terminator clone) but he had to sell his dream car in order to provide for his family.  Hughes persevered though, “I didn’t give up, I worked and worked and still work every single day to have what I have now and for what I want to keep”.  

With a down payment saved and never losing his focus, Hughes recently saw his dream come to fruition for the second time when he bought his second Mustang- a red 2002 GT convertible.  “It is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me to date, It is my everything.  It is my all.  Every morning I get in it and start it to hear that throaty V-8 from the beast of automobile that sits underneath.  It is my constant reminder of where I came from and how I only dreamed of one day having this car.  Every week I am challenged to a race by young adults my age who drive Civics, Camaros, and Subarus.  What is my reaction?  No thanks!  I have worked hard for my Mustang and my pride will never be defeated.  She is nothing less than a dream come true,” says Hughes.

The struggle continues but Hughes now drives his Mustang while wearing a three piece suit serving as the General Manager of a new car dealership.  Due to his love for Mustangs, Hughes has also become the Vice President of Mustang Humor- a social media site that has exploded in fame over the past year which promotes the love and pride of the American favored Mustang.

With just a dream and a desire to succeed, Andrew Hughes exemplifies how to overcome life’s challenges and how to manage the hard knock life.  “Every day I am offered to drive company promotional vehicles and every day I easily turn the offers down just so I can drive my Mustang”, says Hughes.

Today Andrew Hughes wears a tie to work, having worked his way up to General Manager at a car dealer.

Offering words of wisdom for anyone in a situation similar to his own Hughes says, “My advice for anyone out there that struggles is don’t ever give up!  All odds may be stacked against you and they probably are, but don’t settle and don’t give up!  Set your sights and whether it is one year or ten years, follow your dream.  Once it is accomplished, it is the greatest feeling in the world.  By far, the greatest day of your life!”

For Andrew Hughes and many others out there, owning a Mustang is a dream come true. Never forget who you are, where you come from, and the challenges you have overcome.  Most importantly, never take for granted that great American muscle car that you get to ride in every day known as the Mustang.