Sophomore Navya Hari won runner-up in this year’s Drive Safe Los Angeles contest, the National Road Safety Foundation announced Nov. 10. The contest spanned from early August to the end of October and included schools within the Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and Santa Barbara Counties.

Applicants were required to submit a script or storyboard for a 30-second public service announcement on the dangers of distracted driving. The winning entry would be produced and filmed by an Emmy-award winning director to be shown at The Los Angeles Auto Show and on national television.

The application window opened , but Hari did not know of it until it was almost too late.

“The school notified us the day before it was due, so I went home,” Hari said. “I just threw together a piece. It wasn’t very creative, but I did my best and mailed it to New York.”

Hari chose to write a script, attempting to take a step toward her dream of becoming a director.

“It meant a lot, because I’ve always wanted to do something in the film area, but I’ve always been too scared to start. Just by throwing this in an envelope and mailing it, I kind of took a step towards that,” Hari said.

The National Road Safety Foundation received hundreds of applications. Hari said she believes her success could be attributed to making her piece personal and relevant to everybody.

“I’m scared to get my license [because] I feel like I could get hit by a car at any time,” Hari said. “I thought it was really important that we realize how dangerous it can be if you get distracted and how quickly you can die or end someone else’s life.”

Just in entering this competition, Hari said she was able to become more confident in herself and her writing. Hari also learned about the process of screenwriting, the film industry and the risks associated with driving.

“I learned that I’m a better writer than I thought. It makes me happy and brings me to pursue this dream of film,” Hari said. “I feel like I have a better chance at it now — now that I can see that I’m actually good at it.”

Hari won the second place prize this year, which means her script won’t be produced or televised.

“First place is basically the only time you really win. They get to film their ad and have it aired on national TV and at the LA Auto Show. They get to work with an Emmy award-winning director to film it. I got runner up, which means I got a thousand dollars to use for college or for materials and fees in future film competitions,” Hari said.

Hari said she plans to start earlier next year and “think of more creative ways” to write her script. In the meantime, though, she said she is glad for having taken this first step.

“More than anything, [students] should pursue [their] dreams,” Hari said. “I never ever thought that this would happen, and it makes me realize that I am capable of more than I thought, and I think a lot of people should be able to realize that [they are as well].”