La Mesa Area Students Can Win New Laptops Through Essay Contest

LA MESA, CA — High school students in La Mesa and across San Diego County can win new laptops through the 19th annual 2022 Laptop Scholarship Essay Contest.

The contest, launched by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling and the San Diego County Office of Education, is open through Nov. 25 for students in ninth through 12th grades. The applicants with the top 40 best-scored essays will win a new laptop, according to MTS.

This year's essay contest prompt is about Youth Opportunity Pass, a pilot program that went into effect in May and provides free transit access for anyone 18 and younger across the San Diego region. Applicants need to write a persuasive essay on the value of the pilot program, and why it should or should not continue.

"This program is a way of giving back to the community by helping students have the tools necessary to be successful in their academic work," said MTS CEO Sharon Cooney. "Every year we choose our essay prompt to be relevant to our current and future projects. This year, the Youth Opportunity Pass went into effect, and we want to hear from students what they think about the program so far."

Applicants must be attending school in San Diego County and follow all instructions on the application form. To be eligible to win, students must send an application form along with a 750- to 1,000-word essay. All entries are due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25.

Entries can be emailed to scholarship@sdmts.com or mailed to MTS, Attn: Laptop Scholarship, 1255 Imperial Ave., Suite 900, San Diego CA 92101.