New car puts Spring ISD grad on fast track to UH
She’s ‘really excited’ to win a vehicle of her own before starting college
Erion Spencer spent her senior year scrimping and saving for a car that she planned to buy before she starts at the University of Houston in August.
Thanks to her hard work and an abundance of luck, the Spring ISD graduate won’t have to pinch pennies for a vehicle anymore. Spencer, who attended Carl Wunsche Sr. High, received a new Honda Civic LX on Sunday — a silver lining in an unprecedented semester.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I do not have a car. My parents are fine with driving me around everywhere, but I did want to get a car because I will be going to UH in the fall and I work.”
Spencer said she is glad a car is one less worry as she prepares to study construction management at UH.
The Smart Kid Cool Car contest — held through a partnership between the district and the car company — allowed 215 qualified Spring ISD seniors to participate in a drawing for a brand-new vehicle. The event, held Sunday at the Honda of Spring dealership at 17350 North Freeway, featured Spring ISD Superintendent Rodney E. Watson and Honda of Spring General Manager Jason Jackson.
Seniors must have maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.5, a 95 percent attendance rate, have no discipline infractions, pass end-of-course exams and complete postsecondary assignments to qualify, according to Spring ISD.
Winning the car a day before her online orientation was such a gift, Spencer said.
“I’ve been saving up, or trying to at least, so I would be able to get a car before the semester starts,” Spencer said. “I’m still going to hold onto the money that I’ve been saving because college is expensive, and I haven’t got all of my scholarships yet. I’m waiting for everything to fall into place before I start acting all crazy with my money.”
Sylvia Wood, communications officer for Spring ISD, said the contest launched in 2016 to motivate students.
“When we approached Honda of Spring with this idea, they were on board from the very beginning,” she said. “The winning student is able to have a new reliable and sporty Honda to help them commute to college, jobs or whatever else they may need a vehicle for. It’s truly a gift for the student’s entire family, often because they may have had to share a car among working parents and siblings. So for a student to have their own vehicle, it takes a lot of pressure off and opens a lot of doors.”
The Smart Kid Cool Car contest adjusted for the COVID-19 pandemic by holding the event outside of the Honda of Spring dealership instead of a traditional party with a DJ, food and games.
“In consultation with Honda of Spring, we agreed to host the event outside and we’re keeping the students and their parents in parking spots to ensure safe social distancing,” Wood said. “We also aren’t requiring students to be present to win. In the past, that has been a stipulation, but we didn’t feel that was fair this year because we didn’t want any student to be penalized if they were unable to show up because they were sick or a family member was sick.”
Spencer said she would not have known about the contest if not for her College Connections Counselor Sherrie Mason.
“She had been telling us to check our emails and have all of the requirements so we could be eligible,” she said. “I knew about it because of her. She made sure, she kept sending emails.”
Watson said he’s glad the event could be maintained even amid the new coronavirus.
“We weren’t sure we were going to be able to hold this event this year because of the pandemic, but we’re thankful that Honda of Spring has figured
“I did want to get a car because I will be going to UH in the fall and I work.”
Erion Spencer
out a way to make it happen, and that one lucky student will win a car,” he said.
For more information, visit http://www.springisd.org/smartkidcoolcar