Announcing 2023 Highway Safety Poster Contest Winners
Each year, Caltrans holds its annual Highway Safety poster contest. The contest is open to children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Caltrans employees, and it gives the children an opportunity to express their messages about the importance of driving safely in or near highway work zones. It also allows them to be part of Caltrans' educational outreach and life-saving message.
The contest was open to children 17 years old or younger, and judges selected posters based on creativity, how well the poster conveyed the highway safety theme, and the use of color.Although the posters differ greatly in appearance, they all convey one of these important messages, "Be Work Zone Alert" or "Move Over."
Winner 14 - 17 year olds
Shoshoni Guinn – 16 years old
Shoshoni Guinn is a talented sixteen-year-old tenth grade student at Yreka High School. She likes to explore, hike, and swim, and is very interested in motorcycles and sports cars. Art and drawing are also important to Shoshoni, so she was excited when her father Kenneth Guinn, who is a District 2, Equipment Operator II, told her about the Caltrans Safety Poster contest. Her winning entry features several classic Caltrans safety campaign slogans and even includes Caltrans’ new safety cone mascot, “Safety Sam.” “I love my Dad and want him to come home every night,” Shoshoni says, and emphasizes, “I want everyone’s loved ones to make it home safely.”
Winner 11 - 13 year olds
Raya Tabassum Saptorshi – 12 years old
When Raya Tabassum Saptorshi isn’t playing piano or writing sci-fi stories, she often can be found drawing, sketching, or making fabric paintings, artistic skills that came in handy when she created a winning submission for the Caltrans Safety Poster contest. Raya is an enthusiastic twelve-year-old seventh grade student who particularly enjoys studying math, anime, and music at Granite Ridge Intermediate School. The daughter of Mohammad Rana, a Transportation Engineer Tech in District 6, Raya says the contest’s theme is important because “It’s important to keep our Caltrans families, and those who drive, safe” and adds hopefully, “A little awareness makes a big difference.”
Winner 7 - 10 year olds
Catalina Beck – 9 years old
Catalina Beck is a busy nine-year-old fourth grade student at St. Apollinaris School whose father, Michael Beck, is a District 4 Bridge Maintenance Supervisor. Catalina speaks Spanish fluently, likes to run, dance, sing, and draw, and counts Unicorns among her very favorite things. Her interest in art, and her father’s profession, inspired Catalina to enter the Caltrans Safety Poster contest because she wants, “… to help keep my Papa safe at work.”
Winner 6 years old and younger
Sofia Vazquez – 5 years old
Sofia Vazquez is an energetic five-year-old Kindergarten student at the Canyon View Elementary School. Sofia usually has a pen and paper close at hand because she loves crafts and drawing, especially making cards to keep in touch with out-of-state friends and relatives. Sofia’s favorite things include family, friends, and “all things Disney.” Sofia – who calls Rogelio Sanchez-Rangel, an Associate Planner in District 11, “Uncle Roger” – looks forward to eventually being able to join her friends as a Safety Patrol Officer or Crossing Guard because she wants to be able, “… to help all the kids in her school stay safe and learn about road safety.”
Honorable Mentions
14 – 17-year-olds
Mackenzie Wall -14 years old
Father: Rob Wall
Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisor)
District 3
11 – 13-year-olds
Kaelynn Chan - 11 years old
Father: Geoffrey Chan
Transportation Engineer
Division of Engineering Services
7 – 10-year-olds
Bailey Bennetzen - 7 years old
Mother, Lilian Bennetzen
Senior Transportation Engineer
District 5
6 years old and younger
Amir Owlia – 6 years old
Father: Rashid Reza Owlia,
Transportation Engineer (Civil)
District 2
