Eighteen-year-old Irvine student and budding filmmaker, Claire Offenberger, was named the winner of a national digital video contest for a distracted driving campaign.
Over 400 videos were submitted, and Claire won the grand prize, a $5,000 scholarship. Claire was accepted to the USC School of Cinematic Arts, but her plan is to first study film at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa and then reapply to USC later, when she is able to afford the tuition.
Read the Daily Pilot article here.
This is the second year of the nationwide contest by CTIA’s The Wireless Foundation™ and By Kids For Kids. The contest, called Drive Smart: No Distractions, No Excuses features 30-second digital shorts by teens aged 13-18.
The Drive Smart campaign enlists young people to develop digital shorts to discourage their peers from driving while distracted. The campaign includes a curriculum for educators to teach high school students about the dangers of texting and driving.
Check out Claire’s creative and profound video:
We hope Claire continues to use her gifts to be a force for good in this digital age, where texting and driving is an epidemic, and where the #1 cause of preventable death among American teens is car accidents.
Great job, Claire! Keep up the good work and best of luck in your future filmmaking endeavors!