That's right, I, a 28 year old woman learned how to drive for the very first time and got my driver's license. I know what you're thinking and I know what you want to ask so I'll take this moment to explain why it took me this long to finally learn how to drive.

A straight out answer, I was sheltered as a kid. I have an older sister who did learn to drive at 16 and let's just say she made a few mistakes that I had to pay for. I wasn't allowed to learn how to drive until I was 18, and definitely no car before graduation. So at 16 when most of my friends were getting their license or at the very least taking driver's ed, I was at home, taking care of my sick grandmother. When I did graduate high school I started community college immediately and at that point, life was just going by too fast for me to stop and even consider learning to drive because the next thing I knew, I was 25 and graduating and working for this radio station.

I know, I know. Lot's of people ask if it was an inconvenience for my family who had to drive me around. They never complained, and if I needed a ride a friend would step in and offer to take me. There were certainly many times where I stopped and said "whoa, I NEED to learn how to drive." It was something I always intended to do but it just seemed like something would pop up and stop me from actually setting foot in a driver's ed class. My sister offered to teach me once but she didn't really give me direction it was more "go with what you feel" advice. My dad tried to teach me as well one time and well, I hit a mailbox. But my inability to drive never affected my schooling or work. I always made it on time and was always where I needed to be. It wasn't until I was on the Morning Show that everyone made a big deal out of it. The same thing that always happens when people find out happened: they start offering to teach me but no one followed through. At one point I just figured it was too late to even bother learning.

One day, while everyone on the show was teasing me for not knowing how to drive, Buzz received an email with the subject line "E-Z Driving School" the writer introduced himself as Daniel Cano who, along with his wife, owns a driving school and were willing to teach me to drive in exchange for letting our listeners know about their school. Going through the proper channels, I finally got the number to call them up. I'll admit I was nervous, but then I heard that first "Hello, Ms. Joanna!" and the more I talked with him, the more at ease I felt.

In August I went in for the first time to E-Z Driving School's offices and met Daniel and Arlene Cano. I took my written exam and after a few hours, got my certificate for my permit. As I left I thought "Holy crap! It's finally happening!" Then I got home and life gave me another twist. Long story short, my dad ended up in the hospital that very same day I got my permit. He never got better.

I took a few months to grieve after my dad's passing and throughout those months, Daniel kept in touch with me. I never told him why I hadn't gone back but it seemed like he understood. Finally, in November, three full months after I had first gone in, I returned to E-Z Driving School where Daniel gave me my first driving lesson. Everyday was something new, and everyday Daniel never told me where we were going, so imagine my surprise when I ended up on the freeway one day! The lessons went on, as did our crazy conversations in the car, and I felt more at ease on the road. One day Daniel straight up told me "I need you to have your license by next week." And I thought: "He's either sick and tired of teaching me or he believes I'm ready."

And so it happened. I took my test, and trust me I was very nervous! At the end when the tester told me I passed, I walked towards Daniel who asked me "Good or bad?" I couldn't hold back my smile! He had done the impossible and taught me to drive. And not just me, everyday, Daniel gets in the car, willingly, with teenagers and adults who don't know how to drive. I'll be forever grateful to the Cano family, they not only accepted me as a student but as a friend.

If you have a teen who needs to learn to drive, if you're like me and an adult who needs to learn to drive, or you just need defensive driving, I HIGHLY recommend E-Z Driving School.

  • E-Z Driving School 
  • 11940 Don Haskins Dr. Ste. A-2 OR 
  • 2200 N. Lee Trevino Ste. B5
  • 915-313-4004 OR
  • 915-400-4313
  • EZDrivingschool.org

Tell them Joanna sent you!

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