St. Stephens and St. Agnes senior Lauren Mizzell will leave Alexandria with a diploma and cutting edge electronics to boot after winning a Verizon Wireless and United Negro College Fund scholarship.

The soon-to-be graduate will take more than $3,000 in tuition and electronics to Loyola University in the fall after penning an essay explaining how wireless technology has changed her life.

She leaves for Baltimore in the fall with a new laptop and smartphone. 

The communications giant and nonprofit organization awarded Mizzell with the third place prize Wednesday. She competed against students from across Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.