San Diego – Smart phone charging stations on Trolleys, next-arrival information technology and the ability to multi-task while riding were a few of the concepts presented by high school seniors to win laptops as part of the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Coca-Cola Laptop Scholarship Photo Essay Contest. Students were awarded the laptops and recognized at a ceremony at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center on Thursday, May 12.
The top 40 scoring students from 32 different high schools in San Diego County were awarded HP-ENVY 15.6” touch screen laptop computers. Students were required to ride and take photos of the MTS system (selfies with friends, vehicles, stations, infrastructure, etc.) and submit a 1,000-word essay outlining their experience. The laptop scholarship essay contest is a partnership between MTS, Coca-Cola Refreshments of San Diego and the San Diego County Office of Education.
“Each year, the quality of the essays get better and better. These students are very creative and we had participation from all over the county, from Escondido to San Ysidro. 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 to help make this a great learning experience for the students.”
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 2016. Judging criteria for the student essays were based on creativity, grammar, research and critical thinking.
Winners of the 2016 MTS & Coca-Cola Laptop Scholarship Photo Essay Contest are:
Oscar Acosta, e3 Civic High School
Noorhan Albayati, Crawford High School
Shahad Atto, Granite Hills High School
Kellie Brock, West Hills High School
Arianna Camino, Escondido High School
Humberto Castorena, Olympian High School
Christian Contreres, Fallbrook High School
Helen Do, Herbert Hoover High School
Amy Eppert, Hilltop High School
Sahara Estrada Hernandez, Kearny High School
Daniel Riley Hart, Foothills Christian High School
Brianne Herbilla, Mira Mesa High School
Hilda Hernandez, Montgomery High School
Nicholas Hoo, Westview High School
Preauna Hunter, La Jolla High School
Victoria Kempf, Mission Hills High School
Tanner Leslie, The Rock Academy
Sandy Liang, Granite Hills High School
Jorge Adrian Lopez, Sweetwater Union High School
Xena Martinez, San Pasqual High School
Amanda Matheson, Canyon Crest Academy
Charlene Miciano, Montgomery High School
Bilal Mohamed, University City High School
Kara Nepomuceno, Canyon Crest Academy
Leslie Olvera, Mar Vista High School
Jessica Ong, Herbert Hoover High School
Sedona Patterson Smith, San Diego High School
Iain Paul, Granite Hills High School
Katrina Ponce Dick, Grossmont High School
Irene Ramirez, Morse High School
Sarah Sanchez, Academy of Our Lady of Peace
Mabele Sapiki, Crawford High School
Carlos Torres, San Ysidro High School
Michelle Tran, Mount Miguel High School
Ronald Trinh, Mount Miguel High School
Teresa Valle, Garfield High School
Daniel Valoria, Grossmont High School
Luz Villasenor, Grossmont Middle College
Sadie Wager, John Muir High School
Michael Zuazo, Rancho Buena Vista High School
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. MTS set a new record in FY 2015 with 96.7 million riders. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.
Photo (from L to R): MTS Board Chair Harry Mathis, Cory Holstein, Coca-Cola; Michelle Breier San Diego County Office of Education; winners of the 2016 Laptop Scholarship Photo Essay Contest; Coronado City Councilmember Bill Sandke; and MTS Chief Executive Officer Paul Jablonski
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