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Mike Duman Auto Superstore is presenting a unique opportunity to students enrolled in seventh and eighth grades in Suffolk middle schools.

“If I Were Mayor” is an essay contest that will allow students to show their leadership skills by describing how they would identify and solve a problem in their community.

Mike Duman Auto Superstore invites all eligible Suffolk middle school students to participate in the “If I were mayor” essay contest. Students are asked to write a 300- to 500-word essay detailing a problem they have identified in their community and the steps they would take to solve that problem.

“Being a mayor or city leader presents its own set of challenges. You must be able to balance the requests of everyone in your community with the available resources. You also need to use your best judgment to ensure that the proper solutions are chosen to address problems and concerns in the community,” says Mike Duman, Mayor of Suffolk and President of Mike Duman Auto Superstore.

The essay contest will start on Feb. 15 and run until March 15. A first and second place winner will be chosen from each middle school in Suffolk, to include John F. Kennedy, Forest Glen, King’s Fork, John Yeates, Col. Fred Cherry, Turlington Woods, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, and Suffolk Christian Academy. The first prize winner from each school will be awarded a $100 gift card, and the second-place winner will be awarded a $50 gift card. The overall winner will be awarded a $200 gift card. Winners will be chosen on March 30 and notified via phone call.

Entries to the contest may be submitted online through the www.mikeduman.com website or mailed to the dealership at 2300 Godwin Blvd., Suffolk, VA 23434. Mailed-in entries must be clearly labeled “If I Were Mayor Essay Contest” and postmarked no later than March 15. Mike Duman Auto Superstore retains the right to publish submitted essays in digital and print media along with the winning names of each student.