OXFORD, Mass. - A local teen is proving hard work and some free time after school can eventually pay big dividends.

Dylan Cordova, 16, recently purchased a new Jeep Wrangler using money he made mowing lawns and doing landscaping work.

It all began in 2020 during the pandemic, when Dylan was just 12 years old.

“You’re just sitting at home playing Fortnite, and I wanted to save up because I wanted a Jeep,” Dylan said. “My dad came from Guatemala, so he started working really young too. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

His father, Samuel Cordova, said he’s always tried to teach his children the value of hard work.

“Work for your goals because nothing comes easy,” Samuel said. “Nothing is free, especially in these times. Everything is so expensive. I tell them, 'Do the best you can.”

As you might imagine, the job market for middle school students is quite limited, but Dylan managed to find work mowing lawns around his hometown of Oxford.

As word began to spread on social media, he soon found himself mowing lawns any time he wasn’t in school, or there wasn’t any snow on the ground.

“I do it every single day,” Dylan said. “I wake up early in the morning when I don’t have school, and then come home around seven. It kind of grew as I kept doing it. Obviously, the first year wasn’t as big because I didn’t have as many people, but years three and four were definitely the big money makers.”

Last week, it all paid off for Dylan. It’s not every day a 16-year-old arrives at a dealership with $65,000 in cash, but the moment he picked out his new ride and got behind the wheel, all of those hot days and blisters were worth it.

“Loss of words,” Dylan said. “I opened the sunroof up, all the windows down, blasting music. It was definitely a dream come true for me.”

Dylan’s success has even inspired his younger sister Kaeli to start saving as well, and she tags along with her own lawnmower now.

“It’s definitely rewarding and challenging with the heat and stuff, but I think it’s definitely going to pay off when I get to his age,” Kaeli said.

And of course, their parents, Samuel and Mandy, couldn’t be more proud of the work ethic they’ve shown at such a young age.

“We never miss a day of work, never call out sick, it’s very important,” Mandy said. “So we feel it’s important to pass that on to them, and hopefully they’ll pass that on to their children.”

Dylan hopes his story could inspire others, old or young, to chase after their dreams with some elbow grease and motivation.

“There’s not a lot of people out there working, and I just want people to get motivated and start working, saving up for things they want, because nothing comes handed to you,” Dylan said. “You have to work for it.”