Melody Bailey isn’t your stereotypical teenage girl.
Her world doesn’t revolve around shopping at the mall and the never-ending quest for popularity.
Bailey’s too busy restoring her low-rider pickup truck ? she rebuilt the transmission just last month ? and dreaming of a future as a master auto mechanic.
That’s why the 18-year-old Oxford High School senior was recently presented a 2005 Breaking Traditions Award from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
In a May 17 ceremony at the Michigan State Library in Lansing, Bailey along with 24 other students from the around the state were honored for their accomplishments in preparing for careers nontraditional for their genders.
‘I plan on getting certified (as an auto mechanic) and getting dirty doing what I love ? fixing other people’s cars,? she said with a smile.
After she graduates from OHS June 5, Bailey will at tend Nashville Auto-Diesel College in Tennessee for 13 to 15 months and work toward becoming an ASE (Automobile Service Excellence) certified mechanic, a credential recognized nationwide.
‘ASE is the best certification you can get,? she said. ‘It’s like master mechanic.?
On May 19, she retook the State of Michigan’s certification test to become licensed to do front-end and brake work. She failed her first attempt by only two points.
Considering who Bailey’s parents were it’s no wonder the determined young lady is ready to make her living in a male-dominated field.
Her father is the late Wayne Bailey, a professional driver of Top Fuel Dragsters. Up until he died in an October 2000 crash, Melody traveled with her dad across the country watching him race.
‘I grew up watching my dad go down the race track,? she said. ‘I watched him time after time follow his dreams and believe in himself.?
Melody’s mom, the late Shannon (Robidou) Bailey, was also no stranger to working in a male-dominated business. Her world was filled with excavators, bulldozers, backhoes, loaders and dump trucks as she co-owned Waterfront Excavation with her husband.
Shannon died in a job-related accident when Melody was only three months old.
Whenever anyone ‘harasses? her about being a female auto mechanic, Bailey said she remembers that her mother worked in construction ‘her whole life and no one stopped her.?
‘So no one can stop me,? she said.
Although it seems to come quite naturally for her, Bailey’s interest in cars and auto repair is not something she was born with.
‘When I was younger, I used to be the pretty girl who did tea parties and wore dresses,? she said.
Prior to high school, her primary interests were cheerleading, dance and gymnastics. However, she spent her freshman and sophomore years at a private all-girls Catholic school where those activities weren’t available to her.
Depressed over the loss of her father in the eighth grade and with none of the activities she loved to comfort her, Bailey threw herself into academic studies and religion, which she said ‘really saved me.?
But something was still missing.
It wasn’t until she transferred to Oxford High for her junior year that Bailey’s interest in the world under the hood blossomed. She had enrolled in teacher Dan Balsley’s Auto Repair and Maintenance course.
‘As soon as I was in there and saw all the tools, parts and different fluids, I wanted to learn everything,? Bailey said. ‘I memorized everything. I asked questions about everything.?
Soon, she became ‘shop foreman? of the class, in charge of inventory and controlling traffic on the shop floor, and was helping her fellow students by quizzing them.
‘I found something I was great at,? Bailey said. ‘This was easy. This was fun. This was what was missing for so long.?
The auto shop became her second home. She was there during her lunch hours and after school. She even joined the school’s auto club, for which she proudly serves as treasurer.
She continued her auto studies senior year by enrolling in Balsley’s Auto Technology I course, which she’s now nearly completed.
Being the only female in a traditionally male-dominated class has had its challenges, but Bailey met them head-on and earned the respect of her male classmates.
‘They guys in the class don’t give me much crap anymore,? she said.
The boys in her class used to insult each other whenever Bailey would show one of them up in a test of auto repair skills. The old ‘you got beat by a girl? line was frequently heard.
However, Bailey said once she beat them all, that jibe was quickly retired.
Now, she’s one of the guys who just happens to be a girl.
As for other girls at the high school, Bailey said they ‘either love me or they hate me.?
‘Lots of people adore me and think what I’m doing is awesome,? she said. ‘Other people see dirt under my fingernails and look the other way.?
Considering the large number of women who get ‘ripped off? by auto mechanics because they don’t know much or anything about cars, Bailey said, ‘It should be required for every female student to take auto repair just to learn the different systems, noises and fluids.?
But in the end, what others think of her doesn’t seem to matter much to Bailey.
She’s too busy focusing on her dreams, one of which is to become a pit crew chief for a racing team, particularly a drag racing team.
She currently works on the pit crew for drag racers Jack Ostrander and Louie Allison, close friends of her father who have a Top Fuel Drag Racing team based in Waterford.
‘I grew up doing it and I would like to retire doing it,? said Bailey of working on a pit crew. ‘It’s a lot of fun.?
Wherever her auto knowledge and skills take her, Melody Bailey will be happy as long as there’s grease on her hands and passion for what she’s doing in her heart.

tend Nashville Auto-Diesel College in Tennessee for 13 to 15 months and work toward becoming an ASE (Automobile Service Excellence) certified mechanic, a credential recognized nationwide.
‘ASE is the best certification you can get,? she said. ‘It’s like master mechanic.?
On May 19, she retook the State of Michigan’s certification test to become licensed to do front-end and brake work. She failed her first attempt by only two points.
Considering who Bailey’s parents were it’s no wonder the determined young lady is ready to make her living in a male-dominated field.
Her father is the late Wayne Bailey, a professional driver of Top Fuel Dragsters. Up until he died in an October 2000 crash, Melody traveled with her dad across the country watching him race.
‘I grew up watching my dad go down the race track,? she said. ‘I watched him time after time follow his dreams and believe in himself.?
Melody’s mom, the late Shannon Bailey, was no stranger to working in a male-dominated business. Her world was filled with excavators, bulldozers, backhoes, loaders and dump trucks as she co-owned Waterfront Excavation with her husband.
Shannon died in a job-related accident when Melody was only three months old.
Whenever anyone ‘harasses? her about being a female auto mechanic, Bailey said she remembers that her mother worked in construction ‘her whole life and no one stopped her.?
‘So no one can stop me,? she said.
Although it seems to come quite naturally for her, Bailey’s interest in cars and auto repair is not something she was born with.
‘When I was younger, I used to be the pretty girl who did tea parties and wore dresses,? she said.
Prior to high school, her primary interests were cheerleading, dance and gymnastics. However, she spent her freshman and sophomore years at a private all-girls Catholic school where those activities weren’t available to her.
Depressed over the loss of her father in the eighth grade and with none of the activities she loved to comfort her, Bailey threw herself into her academic studies and religion, which she said ‘really saved me.?
But something was still missing.
It wasn’t until she transferred to Oxford High for her junior year that Bailey’s interest in the world under the hood blossomed. She had enrolled in teacher Dan Balsley’s Auto Repair and Maintenance course.
‘As soon as I was in there and saw all the tools, parts and different fluids, I wanted to learn everything,? Bailey said. ‘I memorized everything. I asked questions about everything.?
Soon, she became ‘shop foreman? of the class, in charge of inventory and controlling traffic on the shop floor, and was helping her fellow students by quizzing them.
‘I found something I was great at,? Bailey said. ‘This was easy. This was fun. This was what was missing for so long.?
The auto shop became her second home. She was there during her lunch hours and after school. She even joined the school’s auto club, for which she proudly serves as treasurer.
She continued her auto studies senior year by enrolling in Balsley’s Auto Technology I course, which she’s now nearly completed.
Being the only female in a traditionally male-dominated class has had its challenges, but Bailey met them head-on and earned the respect of her male classmates.
‘They guys in the class don’t give me much crap anymore,? she said.
The boys in her class used to insult each other whenever Bailey would show one of them up in a test of auto repair skills. The old ‘you got beat by a girl? line was frequently heard.
However, Bailey said once she beat them all, that jibe was quickly retired.
Now, she’s one of the guys who just happens to be a girl.
As for other girls at the high school, Bailey said they ‘either love me or they hate me.?
‘Lots of people adore me and think what I’m doing is awesome,? she said. ‘Other people see dirt under my fingernails and look the other way.?
Considering the large number of women who get ‘ripped off? by auto mechanics because they don’t know much or anything about cars, Bailey said, ‘It should be required for every female student to take auto repair just to learn the different systems, noises and fluids.?
But in the end, what others think of her doesn’t seem to matter much to Bailey. She’s too busy focusing on her dreams, one of which is to become a pit crew chief for a racing team, particularly a drag racing team.
She currently works on the pit crew for drag racers Jack Ostrander and Louie Allison, close friends of her father who have a Top Fuel Drag Racing team based in Waterford.
‘I grew up doing it and I would like to retire doing it,? said Bailey of working on a pit crew. ‘It’s a lot of fun.?
Wherever her auto knowledge and skills take her, Melody Bailey will be happy as long as there’s grease on her hands and passion for what she’s doing in her heart.