If the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) starts offering free wi-fi or television monitors promoting tourism, it could be because of some suggestions made by an 18-year-old probationer in the Camp Barrett program.
Peter Pecina Anguiano was one of the grand prize winners in the MTS & Coca Cola Laptop Scholarship Awards. The essay topic was how the MTS could increase ridership.
Pecina’s winning essay was one of 40 selected from among 200 entries. He received the award and laptop Thursday at a presentation downtown. Camp Barrett is a custody option for seriously delinquent boys who are between 16 and 18 years old. The camp’s goal is to provide the young men with the training and skills necessary for successful reintegration into society.
“I was amazed … this is crazy,” said Pecina about finding out he was a grand prize winner. He said had a lot of ideas for the contest because he rides the trolley. His teacher, Jose Lopez, who works for the Juvenile Court and Community Schools, said he helped Pecina a little with grammatical structure but Pecina came up with the ideas and the way he expressed them.
“He had some really good technological ideas,” said Lopez. “He’s a really intelligent kid. He’s focused and a kid who really wants to change his life. And with the right support and guidance, look what he can achieve.”
Supervising Probation Officer Mark Stalnaker who oversees the Camp Barrett unit where Pecina is assigned said he too was impressed by Pecina’s suggestions.
“I really honestly had to tell him, that’s a fantastic idea. I wouldn’t have thought of it. He’s pretty sharp and very creative,” Stalnaker said. “He clearly has a good marketable skill that he can use someday.”
Stalnaker said having a good skill and knowing it is really significant for the young men because many of them struggle to find something they can do.
This was not the case with Pecina, who recently won second place in another essay contest for Black History Month. He won $75 for that contest. Lopez said Pecina has his GED certificate and is taking two community college classes online while in custody.
He is due to be released before the end of the month and was worried about how he would continue his classes because he doesn’t have a computer at home. He told Stalnaker he would try to apply for a loan to get a laptop or desktop computer when he was released, but obviously now he doesn’t need to.
Pecina said he is attending Grossmont Community College now and is trying to complete his general education courses. After he finishes it, he hopes to transfer to San Diego State University and join the nursing program.
