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Teens in the Driver Seat

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April 20, 2020

Semilore Ojerinde, Lewisville High School, April 2020 Teen of the Month

“ It seems like it is a common trait for many teenagers to think that texting while driving is acceptable, but it is really not. ” – Semilore

Q: Why are you involved in the Teens in the Driver Seat® program and what do you like most about being a part of the team?
A:
I like the fact that I get to have a variety of different activities and resources that can engage students in learning about safe driving. This program isn’t just one way road to learning, but it has multiple factors for different times and circumstances that every school can engage in. The resources provided or suggested add on the fun and effectiveness of drawing attention to the importance of safe driving and makes it easier for each ambassador to use build their platform. 

Q: If you could change one thing about the way your friends drive or ride in the car, what would it be?
A: If I could change one things about the way my friends drive is the texting and driving. It seems like it is a common trait for many teenagers to think that texting while driving is acceptable, but it is really not. I personally advise my friends not to text and drive while I am in the car with them and make sure to keep them as focused on the road as possible.

Q: What 5 hashtags would your best friend or person your closest to use to describe you?
A: #Mature #Responsible #Caring #Honest #Understanding

Q: What do you do now or what would you like to do in the future to #bethechange?
A: I would love to be a role model to other black young women out there that they can accomplish many things and that they don’t have to fit into a certain stereotype to survive. I want to be a part of the change in society’s view on black young females.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
A: I see myself in the first stage of my graduate program in order to attain my doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology. I also see myself at a study abroad with my college classmates and hopefully signing a lease to my very own apartment. Overall, I see myself at the beginning stage of adulthood with a job and slowly figuring out where I want to be in the future.

Q: Who do you look up to?
A: I look up to my mom because even through raising her kids up by herself for sometime, she still would love and care for us while she worked and went to school. She is a brave woman who has accomplished many accolades and I hope to be like her in the future.

Q: If you could meet five famous people, who would they be and why?
A: If I could meet 5 famous people it would be BTS, Michelle Obama, Bill Gates, Meryl Streep, and Folorunso Alakija. I would meet BTS because their music opened my eyes to be more understanding and open to new things. They have spread the message about self-love through their songs and personal beliefs and they strive to educate their fans on how to be positive role model in their world. This is an attitude that I haven’t really seen from many artists and I would love to sit with them and talk with them on why they built their platform to be for good and not for shallow topics. I would love to meet Michelle Obama because personally I believe during her time in the White House and out of it, she has continued to be a role model to all the black women in the world and has exemplified the definition of class. Conversing with Bill Gates is one goal at the top of my list because I want to really get in detail on how he persevered with building his company even through the roughest times and how he has managed to maintain his money and status as one the top richest billionaires in the world. Meryl Streep is one of my favorite actors because of her ability to embrace the role she is given with such sincerity and passion. I want to receive some lessons and tips on how to carry out an acting role with as much grace as she has. Lastly, I would love to meet Folorunso Alakija because as an Nigerian it is in inspiring to see another fellow Nigerian woman as one of the richest women in the world. I would like to converse with her on how she rose up to her position and how she currently maintains it as a black woman in a dominant male workforce.

Q: What do you want the world to know about you?
A: I would love to be a Clinical Psychologist because I have always wanted to join a workforce that allows me to help those around me in some way. I have been around many others who desperately seek a psychologist, but are either afraid to or can’t afford it. I don’t want that to be the same case for others in the future. I want to positively and effectively impact lives daily whether they have a mental instability or not and encourage them to strive for better in their lives physically and mentally at a affordable rate.

Q: What would you say to inspire other teens to care more about safe driving/traffic safety?
A: I would say to others to imagine your family member, loved one, or best friend sitting in the drivers seat carrying out unsafe driving habits you may be practicing or you may see others practice. Think about it and make sure to change your habits and educate those around you to develop safe driving habits because that precious life could end up being another statistic.

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Article by Stacey Tisdale / Teen of the Month Leave a Comment

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More Ways for Teens to Be Involved

  • Teen Advisory Board
  • Extra Mile! Senior Activity
  • You in the Driver Seat Safe Driving App
  • Teen of the Month
  • Driving the Message Poster & Video Contest
  • Take the Pledge to Keep Our Drive Alive
  • Safe Driving Summit

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