Inspiring Others

BY LUKE MURRAY

I HAD THE HONOR OF PRESENTING the first annual Advance Auto Parts Anthony Williams Memorial Scholarship at the VISION 2023 Awards Dinner. Anthony passed away unexpectedly in April of 2022 at the age of 37. It was decided that the best way to honor his legacy and the influence he had on so many in our industry was through a continuing scholarship.

The word “influencer” has been twisted over the last decade due to the rise in popularity of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Based on social media protocols, an influencer is someone who has a large number of followers; someone who randomly shows up in your feeds. It’s someone who can teach you a life hack or show you how to build a scale replica of your high school in Minecraft. Social media influencers can influence both positively and negatively.

I like to think of an influencer as something more exceptional than that. A true influencer is a person that has the gift to change your life’s trajectory, someone that can make a genuine impact on the way we see the world. That someone, for me and for so many others, was Anthony Williams. He was a gifted, kind, and intelligent father, husband, and friend that had the gift to encourage, impassion, and embolden you from the first time you met him.

When I met Anthony, we spoke for hours over dinner about our vision of the future. I walked away that evening with a renewed passion for my career and for the automotive aftermarket. Everyone I have spoken to that had met Anthony has shared similar experiences. That is true influence.

I recall Anthony sharing a story with me about his time as a high school shop teacher. A fellow colleague, the history teacher, was struggling to connect with her students regarding the Industrial Revolution. Anthony suggested bringing the two classes together. This allowed for a unique learning experience where the history students received a lesson on the invention of the assembly line while also learning how to rebuild a carburetor! Through his outside-the-box educational thinking, Anthony influenced not just his students, but a whole other class. Anthony took that same passion into his job as a curriculum developer for CTI+WTI at Advance Auto and changed the way automotive instructors looked at training. That is true influence.

The dictionary defines influence as: “a person or thing with the capacity or power to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.”

So, just like Anthony was a person of influence, a scholarship is a thing of influence. A scholarship has the power to change someone’s life. Not just from a monetary standpoint, helping cover the costs of education towards earning a degree in this industry, but from an emotional standpoint too. The recognition of hard work has a more profound impact on a person’s character and development, particularly when that recognition comes from the very industry you are trying to break into.

I still remember the feelings of accomplishment I experienced after receiving a scholarship in trade school. Sure, I had put in the hard work and applied for the scholarship myself, but it still had to go through a review board of professionals. Knowing that my story had been read by others who had been walking miles in the boots I was just learning how to lace up, and the fact that they chose me was empowering. I received the recognition and confirmation that I was on the right path. That I was working towards something better in my life. I was proud of myself, quite possibly for the first time ever.

In short, a scholarship has influence — positive influence. Is there a better way to remember those that have had an influence in our lives than to pay it forward via memorial scholarships? I encourage everyone that has ever been on the receiving end of positive influence from either a mentor, employer, teacher, or parent, to investigate establishing, funding, or contributing to a memorial scholarship.

Luke Murray has always had a passion for teaching. He often does guest lectures at regional trade schools, community colleges, and high schools. Luke has helped contribute technical data to numerous publishers and has been instructing and developing curriculum as a manager at WTI WorldPac since 2010.