Personal Connections is a new blog series exploring the many different personal connections Momentum has with past participants. This series is led by Momentum's Executive Director Jeff Loomis.

Last summer, my oldest son was ready to start training for his driver’s license. Like any parent, I wanted him to become a safe, confident driver, so finding a good driving school was important to me — and not just to take advantage of those reduced insurance rates!

So, when it came time to pick a driving school, one place came to mind immediately: Road Runner Driving School.

Now, I didn’t just randomly pick Road Runner. I knew of the owner, Angela, from several years earlier when she completed a Momentum Self Employment program. I remembered her quite vividly from her appearance in one of our most hilarious (and memorable) videos with the fictional Silvia Silverlining character. It’s worth a watch.

Angela came to Calgary in 2001 with her two kids and, like many newcomers, worked several low-paying jobs to get by. Despite this, her dreams of owning her own business never wavered. In 2017, she joined a Self Employment program with a vision to launch and grow her own driving school. Angela received a $5,000 Momentum Micro Business Loan and, after obtaining her driving instructor license and getting a car ready to go, Road Runner Driving School became a reality.

Over the years, Angela has steadily grown Road Runner from basic driver training to also include motorcycle and truck driver training. She’s expanded with care by not rushing and always thinking strategically about what’s next. Angela paid off her loan in 2021 — and hasn’t looked back.

My son had a wonderful experience with Road Runner Driving School. He was so impressed that he left a five-star Google review entirely on his own — and passed his road test on the first try! I’m proud to say he’s still ticket-free (fingers crossed it stays that way).

What makes it even more meaningful is that Angela and her family are part of the Momentum community. Her son-in-law is also a graduate of our Self Employment program, and it’s inspiring to see their entrepreneurial spirit thrive across generations.

I’m proud to see their success and even prouder to know that Momentum played a small role in their journey.

Read about other participants' journeys, or learn more about our programs here.