Thank you to everyone who participated in the last of the three scholarship contests for the year 2025. We are grateful to everyone who took the time to write, research, and share intimate stories about the importance of driver education. Some essay submissions dealt with being involved in a motor vehicle accident and the tragic aftermath. Others, sadly, even deal with the loss of life due to a motor vehicle crash. Sharing your story could save a life by introducing how grave the consequences of driver distraction can be. We applaud you for taking the issue seriously enough to educate others about it.
The quality of the submissions this year was as excellent as ever. This year, we received many submissions, many with the assistance of AI technology, making our task of selecting a winner much more difficult. We truly wish we could award every participant for their efforts. So many well-written and researched papers dealt with the importance of driver education. We truly enjoyed reading the submissions and will continue to share your stories, thoughts, and suggestions on what we can do to save lives and ensure the safety of all those who share our roadways. Now, let’s announce the winners of this round.
The most shared essay, with 395 votes, is “Safe Ride Home” by Matthew R. Ochoa II. Great job Matthew!
Selecting the winner for staff favorite was difficult, as it always is. Each staff member selected their favorite, and the winning essay was randomly chosen from the staff’s favorites. It was the only way to pick our favorite, as there were many great submissions. For staff favorite, the winner is, “The Sober Drunk” by Mia Zelinka
Both essays were compelling stories of how driver impairment and the resulting tragedies are not the result of just drugs and alcohol, but a host of other factors that we rarely consider, among them being driving while fatigued and various forms of distracted driving. All of which can be as deadly as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Thank you for sharing your stories. In the same vein of educating us about these dangers, we have selected an additional 10 most distinguished essays from our staff favorites (prize amount $350). In no particular order, they are,
“Seconds That Change Lives, Everyday” by Alexander Flores
“One Second From the Shoulder” by Doan Tran
“God. Please.” by Mary Boakye-Yiadom
“Almost There: What I Learned on the Curb at 2 A.M.” by Aarush Jugdar
“Four Words Too Many” by Delaney Shamaya
“One Text, One Second, One Life” by Linsey Delahoussaye
“Two Seconds” by Yanagloria Lopetey Gayle
“Driving While Human” by Ramya Elangovan
“A New Generation, A New Kind of Impairment” by Talia Baker
“Impaired Driving: A Preventable Tragedy” by Kaydance Logue. Kaydance was also the runner-up for the most shared essay.
We say this every year, but it bears repeating. Ideally, there would be no need for scholarship contests, and every citizen would be assured a free college education. As you know, a high school degree does not go too far these days, and to limit one’s access to a good education and God-given potential because of a lack of resources is truly unfair when we have the means to provide otherwise. So, it is also up to you to declare that you wish for a college education to be granted as a right for all and not just an option for some. You all will soon be or are now of voting age, and your views can be put into law to bring about a better future for your generation and generations to come. I do hope you will get involved in bringing about this change. Bless you all. Thanks again to all participants.
