State Treasurer Don Stenberg today announced the names of the 12 winners in the 2013 “Why I Want to Go to College” essay contest sponsored by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) and the Omaha Storm Chasers baseball team.
“We are happy to announce that a record 1,461 essays were received in this year’s contest for seventh and eighth graders, which is now in its 11th year. That’s more than double the number of entries received last year,” Treasurer Stenberg said. “The large number of entries from across the United States tells us that families are becoming more aware of Nebraska’s excellent college savings program and that young people are starting early to think about college and what higher education will mean to them in their lives.”
More than 203,000 families nationwide—including more than 55,000 families in Nebraska—maintain savings accounts through the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust, Nebraska’s state-sponsored 529 college savings program. State Treasurer Stenberg is Trustee of NEST.
Essay contest winners will be recognized May 19 at the Omaha Storm Chasers’ game at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. Each winner will receive a scholarship contribution to one of Nebraska’s college savings plan. The prizes are awarded by U.S. Congressional districts in Nebraska. A fourth category is set aside for students from outside Nebraska.
Each first-place winner will receive a $3,500 scholarship contribution; each second-place winner will receive a $1,000 contribution; and each third-place winner will receive a $500 contribution.
The winners are as follows:
1st Congressional District - Nebraska
| First: | Sophie Anne Glaubius | Wisner-Pilger Junior-Senior High | Wisner, NE |
| Second: | Treslyn Hubbard | Norfolk Junior High | Norfolk, NE |
| Third: | Adam Zastrow | St. Peter's Catholic School | Lincoln, NE |
2nd Congressional District - Nebraska
| First: | Samantha Moulton | Elkhorn Ridge Middle School | Elkhorn, NE |
| Second: | Mallory Bretsen | Alice Buffett Middle School | Omaha, NE |
| Third: | Claire Scanlan | Platteview Central Junior High | Springfield, NE |
3rd Congressional District - Nebraska
| First: | Marisa Hutchinson | Valentine Middle School | Valentine, NE |
| Second: | Britley Schlueter | Wood Lake School | Wood Lake, NE |
| Third: | Mitchell Leininger | Moving Mountains Home School | Auburn, NE |
Out-of-State
| First: | Micki Miller | Family of Christ Christian School | Lutz, FL |
| Second: | Zoe Jee | Harry C. Fulton Middle School | Fountain Valley, CA |
| Third: | Mary Elizabeth Hartness | North Habersham Middle School | Clarkesville, GA |
Below are excerpts from the first-place winning essays on “Why I Want to Go to College”:
Sophie Anne Glaubius, 1st District:
“As an American and a Nebraskan, I believe that both our country and our state’s heritage is a history of its people striving to improve themselves through work and learning…Even in our great state of Nebraska, the early settlers built colleges and universities, the most well-known being the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I believe that college is a present day way to improve ourselves and our lives.”
Samantha Moulton, 2nd District:
“College is something I am constantly looking forward to, especially on days that are boring and uneventful. I look forward to going to class and being challenged and learning things that are fascinating. I want to have professors who love what they teach and are experts in their field. I want classmates to talk to about great novels and world problems. To me college is like a great book that I long to crack open and experience.”
Marisa Hutchinson, 3rd District:
“Five years from now, I see myself standing on a podium looking out into the faces of my peers. My family, friends, and high school classmates are all seated in the crowd. Now it’s time for my valedictorian speech. ‘Today is the day we have prepared for…’ I want to go to college to provide for my family, to be able to think for myself, to be content in life, to meet new people, and to learn new skills … ‘With due respect, I wish you, my fellow classmates, to choose the right pathway for you and hope you have many adventures in the places you will go.’”
Micki Miller, Out-of-State:
“I want to shoot for the stars and be able to tell everyone that there’ll be impediments in life, but they can knock down every obstacle they come across. But how can I justly inspire them to do that if I’m not proof that it’s possible? I want people to look at me and dream bigger than they were before. I want people to be inspired when they hear my underdog story. I want to give everyone that thinks negatively about life hope for a bright future, a future they’ll be proud of, I want a future I can be proud of and my parents will be proud of.”
About NEST
NEST is a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan and provides four plans to help make saving for college simple and affordable: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, the NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, the Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan, and the State Farm 529 Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as Program Trustee. Union Bank & Trust Company serves as Program Manager, and all investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council. Families nationwide are saving for college using Nebraska’s 529 College Savings Plans, which have more than 285,000 accounts, including over 94,000 in Nebraska. Visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov for more information.
