Fiat’s TV ads feature the Pharrell song “Happy” – and that’s exactly the feeling that Hillcrest junior Naomi Jimenez had when she recently won a new Fiat 500 in the Ken Garff “Keys to Success” program.

The win, which was captured on live TV, began with her academic achievement.  Her successes in the classroom qualified her for an assembly to see if she won an Apple iPad and a key. Jimenez then was able to see if her key was the right one to turn the ignition in the car parked outside.

Then, the students from the participating schools who had qualified for a chance to win the car were invited to a live TV show hosted by KUTV’s Mary Nickles and Ron Bird.  On the show, she was announced as the winner of the sporty blue car when a “Wheel of Fortune”-style wheel landed on the number she had been assigned as a qualifier for the car. 

When the wheel stopped on the No. 11, she screamed with excitement and was hugged by her mother and the other students. “This is crazy,” Naomi said, as she sat in the car for the first time. “I have a bike that I ride to school every day.  So this is going to be an upgrade for sure.” 

Additional recognition went to David Sagae, a senior and Sterling Scholar, received a $1,000 scholarship award from the program. Keys to Success is aimed at improving Utah’s college attainment rates by providing scholarships and encouraging academic goals by awarding prizes for achievements.

The keys to success is about motivating students to do their very best,” Ken Garff’s Rick Folkerson said during the segment.  “And there is no greater motivator than a brand new car.”