.png)
‘This summer was already going to be about exploring and having a good time before school but what a great way to add to that' - Emma Ogiemwayne.
Emma Ogiemwayne, a high school student, is going to spend this summer whizzing around the countryside on a Harley Davidson motorbike, along with seven others.
#Findyourfreedom is a summer internship program by Harley Davidson Motors, where eight interns are selected every summer, and they are taken to Marina Del Ray, Los Angeles where they learn the art of riding sports motorbikes.
The company received an astonishing 7500 applications from contestants around the world, wanting to participate in this program! Eight candidates were chosen, and out of the three had never even ridden a motorbike before! Emma was one of them.
Emma says that this is the reason she applied. "That excited me," she says.
"I think I'm attracted to things that are new."
The company provides financial support, motorbikes, professional training and classes to the interns, and the intern then chronicle their experiences of riding motorbikes for the first time, on social media! Their social media posts and stories, take us through the excitement of mountain a bike for the first time, learning how to balance it, and then whizzing through the countryside together, as a team. They spend much of their time together, with a common objective- learning how to master these sleek machines.
Even at the start of the course, the team looks very bonded. It's also an excellent way for them to make new friends and experience different cultures. Through this method, Harley Davidson aims to grow the sport of motorcycling among modern, younger and more diverse audiences. The 1500-year-old American company is using new platforms to cater to a younger audience.
"I can never say I've never ridden a bike before. Yay!" Emma says.
Trained coaches are provided, to teach the group of college students about the sport of biking. They have classroom instruction at Bartel's Harley Davidson in Marina Del Rey, as well as riding classes!
And at the end of the summer, the interns get to pick their bike, to take back home. By the end of the course, they will probably have decided on a favorite. They get to take a sleek motorbike back home, to ‘Find their Freedom.'
But for Emma, this sport is not just a way to have a good time this summer, but to gain mindfulness and presence. She says; "Being on a motorcycle, you have to put all of your energy into where you are. You have no choice but to be present, so I'm hoping to find a new way not only to travel and enjoy myself but find some peace and presence."