Wharton Student: Ambition is Key to College

When Wharton High School student Ciara Demontegnac was putting together her entry in a billboard contest, she turned to comic books for inspiration.

“Superheroes have goals to protect everyone from villains and they have a strong desire to do so,” she said. “That just inspired me to draw two teens that have strong ambition to perform well in school, getting A's and B's, and staying away from bad grades and trouble.”

For her efforts, Demontegnac earned second place in the KnowHow2Go Florida billboard contest. The Hillsborough Education Foundation partnered with KH2Go Florida and other organizations “to promote college readiness by having students design a billboard that illustrates a quality that would prepare a student for college.” Participants had to fill in the blank in this phrase: “My (blank) will help me prepare for college.”

Demontegnac’s design filled in the blank with “ambition” and drew pencil-clutching teens in superhero poses. The way she sees it, ambition is the most essential element when it comes to education.

“If we have the desire to be successful, we will be willing to work hard and be determined to reach goals we have set for ourselves,” she said.

Kaitlyn Bryce and Caitlyn Carty, both of Plant City High, won first and third places respectively. Bryce’s winning entry — she filled in the blank with “hard work” — will be turned into a billboard. Carty and Demontegnac have received small replicas of their designs.

The trio's efforts were highlighted at Tuesday's Hillsborough County School Board meeting.

"I was excited when I found out that I would be honored," Demontegnac said. "I had never been to (a school board meeting) before so I thought it would be a cool experience."