Lakeland's Tesulov enjoys cars, scouting

RATHDRUM - When Aron Tesulov was given his grandma's 1974 Nova, he went to work.

"I completely re-painted it," the Lakeland High senior said. "It was root beer brown and it's now a dark metallic green with black racing stripes."

Admiring and working on classic cars is Tesulov's favorite hobby.

"When I was younger, my dad (Dan) would point out all the cool cars to us, and we'd play a 'name that car' game," Tesulov said. "I got more and more into cars ever since."

Tesulov said he also has friends who have classic cars, so it makes a great conversation piece with buddies.

He also enjoys attending car shows with his dad.

"When he was in high school, my dad redid a 1964 Malibu, and two weeks later it was stolen," Tesulov said.

Tesulov's Nova isn't his regular ride - a small red truck is his "daily driver."

"I'll leave the Nova at my dad's until I get a house, then I'll take it," he said.

Tesulov said he learned about paint and body work from Dan Rennick, who owns a small shop in Post Falls.

"He found out that I was interested in painting my car at the Rathdrum Days Car Show, so he told me to come on down," he said.

Tesulov, who maintains a 3.4 GPA, said he also enjoys volunteering at school wherever he's needed.

"I've helped the leadership with activities like homecoming and Prairie Pig (a spirit competition with Post Falls)," he said. "I get a lot of satisfaction out of volunteering."

Tesulov has also been a Scout for the past 10 years and is awaiting his confirmation to become an Eagle Scout for Troop 216 in Rathdrum.

"It's a very big accomplishment," he said.

For his Eagle project, Tesulov built two sets of airplane tie-downs at McGee Air Field about 15 miles east of Coeur d'Alene.

"It took about seven hours," he said.

Tesulov said he has enjoyed scouting because it has taught him leadership skills that he has used in school and how to survive in the wilderness.

He plans to attend Boise State University next fall, but hasn't decided on a major.

"I really like that area, and there's a lot of stuff to do," he said. "It's a really nice campus."

SNAPSHOT

Favorite movie: "Avatar"

Book: Harry Potter series

TV show: "Top Gear"

Hobbies: Working on cars, hanging out with friends, Boy Scouts