On November 7th, motivational speaker Cara Filler gave a moving presentation that changed Academy’s perspective on road safety. Cara is one of the top Youth Motivational speakers in the world, and is also the founder of the Drive to Save Lives Tour. As she told her emotional story, there was not one dry eye in the room.

Mairin, Cara’s twin sister, was in a tragic high speed car crash the day after their 18th birthday and just a few days before she was supposed to start college. Cara and Mairin were at the mall one afternoon, and when leaving Mairin got in the car with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was driving 110 mph down a hill in a 35 mph speed zone, his breaks froze and he crashed into a car at an intersection. Her boyfriend walked away with just a few small injuries, a $150 speeding ticket, and 15 days of jail time. Mairin, however, did not walk away and died at the scene of the crash.

On that tragic day, Cara not only lost her twin sister, but also her best friend. She uses her story as an opportunity to prevent others from making the same choice her sister did.

Cara mentioned that car crashes are the number 1 killer of the youth, they’re often referred to as accidents, but when in fact they aren’t accidents they are bad choices that people made. She gave the students four tips that could be used to get out of a dangerous situation.

The 3 P’s:

1. Pee

“I gotta pee! Can you please pull over? *does the pee dance*

2. Period

“Uh oh! I think I just started my period!” *holds stomach and hunches over*

3. Puke

“ Oh no, I dont feel so well” *covers mouth*

She emphasized to the audience, “If you ever find yourself in a car with a dangerous driver, these three silly tips could potentially save you from a scary situation.”

 At the end of presentation, there was a line of girls, some sobbing, wishing to speak with her.  For freshman Katherine Pickard, the speaker was truly moving: “I have never been to a presentation as inspirational as this one. Cara touched everyone with her story and taught us valuable lessons that could potentially save our lives.”