Johnson Attorneys Group’s Never Drink and Drive Scholarship finalist, Jessica P. is studying science at Modesto Junior College. The 18-year-old from Ceres, California wants to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and eventually, a radiology technician.
“I hope that if I win my story will have a positive influence on a lot of people to stop drinking and driving,” she said.
She is one of several finalists chosen by our law firm for the annual competition every spring. Our friends at Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in California will select a winner this week. We are sharing the stories from our finalists over the coming week.
“This week is spring break for many college-aged students and we hope to bring awareness to young people and encourage them to never drink and drive,” said Attorney James Johnson, founder of Johnson Attorneys Group.
Here is the essay submission from Jessica for the Johnson Attorneys Group scholarship competition.:
Jessica’s Never Drink and Drive Scholarship Essay:
By drinking and driving you are not only putting your own life at risk but you are risking
the lives of others who are on the road or walking in the crosswalks. My own life has been
affected by this many times.
My family and I live in a corner house in the country where there is a bar right down the street. Both my sister and I have the rooms closest to the corner and have had people who were drunk and drove through our fence and got a few feet away from crashing into our rooms. One of the accidents was so bad that the three girls who were the drunk drivers caused a semi truck to drive through our front yard into our field with our animals.
The girls ended up wrapped around the telephone pole each with several injuries, some being a broken
pelvis, arms, legs and slight paralysis. Witnessing many drunk driving accidents has made it hard
on me. I now have a hard time sleeping at night because I am so afraid of being woken up by an
accident or them potentially crashing into our house. I used to like sleeping with my windows
open during the fall to get fresh air but I got so scared hearing the accidents that I rarely open my
windows now.
My sister and I don’t even get free reign when rearranging our rooms because we have to keep our beds on the furthest wall from the corner. Our family is so scared that we might get hit that they want us to be as far from the wall to prevent us from getting injured even if our room gets damaged in the process.
Although my situation is very unique, being affected by drunk driving can happen at any time during the day, the time of day does not stop people from drinking or driving. I try to help bring awareness about this topic by talking with my friends and family and telling them the things I have witnessed and how it has affected me. Letting people know that witnessing things changes your perspective on life and makes you adjust the way you live on a regular basis. I try to prevent drinking and driving by letting my friends know that if they ever need a ride I am only a phone call away. It doesn’t matter the time of day because I
want everyone to arrive home safely and no friends or family are worrying about your safety. — Jessica P.
Johnson Attorneys Group is a personal injury law firm with offices throughout California. Our firm is proud to be a longtime supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Our annual spring essay competition is open to California students or students attending a California college. Read the full details on our website.
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