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Local Teen Wins $5,000 Driver-Safety Scholarship

COARSEGOLD — He doesn’t even have his driver’s license yet, but Michael Hotchkiss, 15, is already a go-to guy when it comes to teen driver safety — and he’s been awarded a nice fat check to prove it.

The National Foundation for Teen Safe Driving (NFTSD) partnered with Lithia Motors to promote safe driving. The NFTSD promotes the ideal that change starts by knowing and understanding the facts, raising awareness about the problem, and coming together as a community to learn about the solutions.

By reading the teen driver safety tips the organization posted online each week and following contest instructions, participants were entered to win prizes. The Grand Prize of a $5,000 scholarship was awarded to two winners from all the entries, nationwide. One of those was Michael, a sophomore at Minarets High School in O’Neals.

Michael enjoys art and Spanish, and is now starting to think about college, says his mom, Jennifer Olsen. He really wants to play soccer through college, if possible. Michael has a brother and sister, and his grandparents live in Oakhurst.

Jennifer says she’s been talking with Michael about safe driving for quite a while — looks like that paid off — and he has plans to get his driving permit next month.

Congratulations, Michael, we look forward to sharing the road with you!

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Sierra News Online

Sierra News Online