Finalists in the Starving Student Contest gathered at Toyota of Southern Maryland on Sept. 20 to read their way to a new car.

“We are committed to supporting local education,” said dealership co-owner Peter D’Artista about the contest he along with TheBAYNET.com sponsored.  College students need transportation and the prize, a 1996 Camry, is one of the best vehicles on the road today.

Jocelyn Henderson, from St Mary’s College wrote the winning essay and won the car. When she heard her essay being read as the winning entry, she was shocked in disbelief. When asked what she thought about winning, Henderson's first words were, "Thank God for Toyota of Southern Maryland." Henderson stated that she desperately needed a car and winning was the only way she could afford one.

To compete in the contest, students submitted an essay explaining why they needed a car.  Twenty-five finalists were selected.  Each read his or her essay at the award ceremony on Sept. 20.  The finalists selected the winner by voting for the best essay.
Reasons for needing a car were varied — getting to school, getting a job, returning the family car to Mom and Dad and pursuing a career as an EMT.  One entrant even admitted no longer owning a car as a result of ignoring ominous warnings: “a lag between pressing the gas and the sudden jolt forward into oncoming traffic, a ‘check-engine light’ and the final death shutter.

Entrants came from all over Maryland — La Plata, Leonardtown, Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, Valley Lee, Lexington Park, Mechanicsville, Mount Airy, Glenelg, Baltimore and Hollywood.

Henderson's Car-Winning Essay

Winning this contest would make my life better in several ways.  I am a fourth-year student at St. Mary's College of Maryland, majoring in biochemistry. However, I am not your typical student. I'm 24 years old, married and I have two children: a 6-year-old girl and a 5-month-old boy.
 
My husband and I can barely manage me going to classes and him going to work because we only have one car between us, which is on its last legs. (When I say it's on its last legs, I'm talking about barely making it up the hills on state Route 5.

The car I drive right now has close to 300,000 miles, which is why it always amuses me when I get those telemarketing calls about my car's warranty about to expire.  Our saving grace right now is that my husband has a motorcycle which he can take to work when the weather complies, but that restricts his ability to pick up the kids or take them to doctor appointments as you can't (and we wouldn't) take the kids on the motorcycle.

Although we both work, we certainly don't have the funds for another car, and we're not sure how we will work it out when the roads are too slippery for his motorcycle or the car breaks down.

 I am also completing a research project at school which requires me to drive to certain locations to collect water samples. After this year of school, I plan to go to medical school, hopefully at John's Hopkins Medical College, so having a reliable car for that also will be a must.

Winning this contest would exponentially reduce the amount of stress I am dealing with because not only would my family and I feel safer on the roads but I could concentrate more on school and worry less about picking the kids up.

It's hard being solely responsible for their transportation while trying to excel at my classes. For example, I can rarely stay at school to do my homework, meet with study partners or talk to a professor because I have to run and pick up the kids. One final thought: If I win this contest, it would be the first car I've actually owned in my name, which is pretty exciting. Thank you for considering me as a candidate for winning this contest!