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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