MTS & Coca-Cola Award New Laptops to 40 Graduating High School Seniors

San Diego – Helping the environment, saving money and extra study time were a few compelling arguments high school seniors made about the benefits of taking public transit to win laptops as part of the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Coca-Cola Laptop Scholarship Essay Contest.

Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 touch-screen laptop computers were awarded to the top 40 student essay writers from 27 different schools in San Diego County. Students were required to submit an application form along with a 1,000-word persuasive essay targeting college students on the benefits of taking transit to class and to get around San Diego. The laptop scholarship contest is a partnership between MTS, Coca-Cola Refreshments of San Diego and the San Diego County Office of Education.

“Each year, the competition grows. Students participated from all over the county, including Chula Vista, El Cajon, Scripps Ranch and Oceanside. Many of these students are also passengers so they understand the benefits to taking transit,” said MTS Board Chairman Harry Mathis. “We appreciate the partnership with Coca-Cola and the San Diego County Office of Education to help make this a great learning experience for hundreds of students participating each year.”
To be eligible to win, students had to be San Diego County residents, enrolled in a San Diego County high school and slated to graduate in spring 2015. Judging criteria for the student essays were based on creativity, grammar, research and critical thinking. MTS received 206 entries from students at 66 different high schools. 
Winners of the 2015 MTS & Coca-Cola Laptop Scholarship Essay Contest are:

Alex Tung, Mira Mesa High School 
Amineh Rastandeh, Torrey Pines High School 
Anders Bogan, Mission Vista High School 
Ariana Huesias, Mission Vista High School 
Autumn Murphy, Torrey Pines High School 
Baylee Cardwell, Point Loma High School 
Benjamin Guo, Grossmont High School 
Bonnie Lin, Eastlake High School
Bryan Duong Trieu, Eastlake High School 
Camille Harris, San Diego High School 
Claire Kosinski, Escondido High School 
David Mendoza, Montgomery High School 
Emilie Rodriguez, Helix Charter High School 
Emmanuel Huff, Patrick Henry High School 
Emmanuel Lopez Prieto, The Preuss School UC San Diego 
Frankie Orona Jr., Olympian High School
Gabriela Arce Mendez, TOP Blended Community School 
Graham Root, Helix Charter High School 
Isaac Padilla Tapia, The Preuss School UC San Diego

Isaiah Osborne, Madison High School 
Jasmine Nichols, San Marcos High School 
Jazmin Quintanilla, San Ysidro High School 
Jenna Hugo, Scripps Ranch High School 
Joey Gardetto, Helix Charter High School 
Karla Real, Garfield High School 
Lily Buchanan, Patrick Henry High School 
Lucas Pereira, Eastlake High School 
Madelyn Dow, Valhalla High School
Mary Cozy, Herbert Hoover High School 
Michaela Elmer, Cathedral Catholic High School
Nicholas Misleh, University City High School
Paris Gramann, High Tech High North County 
Payton Hovey, Point Loma High School 
Priscilla Tamborini, Montgomery High School
Rebekah House, Eastlake High School Renelle Gadon, Olympian High School 
Ryan Zentmyer, Grossmont High School 
Thuy Hong Nguyen, Serra High School 
Varun Krishnan, La Jolla High School
Victoria Tom, Westview High School

About MTS
MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.

Photo (from left to right): MTS Board Chairman Harry Mathis; Coronado Councilmember Bill Sandke; San Diego City Councilmember Marti Emerald; winning high school students; Cory Holstein, Coca-Cola Refreshments; MTS Chief Executive Office Paul Jablonski; Music Watson, San Diego County Office of Education

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