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USF Journalism Student's Safe Driving Video Places 1st

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By LIZ BLEAU, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

SEFFNER - Sarah Wilson, 19, spent some time at the Westfield Brandon mall in August, but she wasn't just shopping for clothes and supplies for her upcoming semester at the University of South Florida.

She went to the mall to distribute fliers encouraging people to visit a Web site and vote for her video on driving safety.

She also recruited votes online at MySpace and Facebook.

Her marketing plan worked, and she has been named first-prize winner in the video contest sponsored by Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC. She won a $5,000 scholarship and a set of tires.

'I'll probably save the scholarship money for graduate school,' said Wilson, a sophomore in USF's mass communications program.

Wilson said she became interested in TV and video production at Armwood High School, where teacher Tom Crowe helped her hone her skills.

'He gives students the chance to produce and to have a say in what goes on,' she said.

She won several video contests her senior year, which gave her the confidence to enter the Bridgestone competition.

'I wanted to create something catchy and simple,' she said. Her video, called 'The Letter,' used a stop-motion technique, in which one frame is shot at a time. It includes various safety messages.

In her role as first-place winner, she will travel to the Chicago Auto Show in February to show off her video.

'The contest was fun,' she said. 'It was a chance to practice what I want to do, and it was great because I also was producing a video for a good cause.'

To view her video, go to www.safetyscholars.com

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com.

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