Getting your driver’s license for the first time is uplifting and adding a car to that equation makes it feel freeing. You can go wherever you want whenever you want to do whatever you want. Still that feeling can be fleeting if you fly by a stopped school bus or break any driving law for that matter.

Sophia Rupert, ‘19, made just such an error as she was hurrying to get home in time for winter formal. With little time to decide, Rupert bypassed a stopped school bus coming in the opposite direction.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to get home and get ready. I was on the phone with my mom asking her if she could start to get stuff set up so I could start getting ready right away,” Rupert exclaimed. “I made split-second decision, which was obviously a big mistake. Since the bus was coming in the opposite direction, in my head I thought I could go.”

After getting a glare from the bus driver, Rupert knew she had made a big mistake. She didn’t think of her fast and furious joyride again until she got a call from the police a week later. Rupert has been experiencing the repercussions since.

“The bus driver obviously got my license plate,” Rupert said. “The police called me and said I had to go to the station and visit Officer Karen. She asked me questions and gave me a court date.”

Rupert experienced her first court appearance on March 18. Being her first confrontation with the law, Rupert wasn’t sure what to expect.

“It was very laid-back, kind of. I just had to talk to the judge and tell him I’m pleading not guilty because otherwise I could lose my license,” Rupert said.

Her next appearance will be later in April as this story will go to press.

Of course, Rupert thinks she has definitely learned her lesson and will take her time from now on driving from point A to point B.

“Be cautious. If you think you shouldn’t do something, don’t ignore that instinct,” Rupert said. “But also, my mom always says hesitation kills, so if you’re going to go, might as well send it.”