Fourteen winners in the 2014 “Why I Want to Go to College” writing contest sponsored by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) were announced today by State Treasurer Don Stenberg.
The winners will be recognized Sunday at the Storm Chasers game at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. Winners receive contributions to NEST college savings plans, ranging in value from $500 for third place to $2,000 for first place and totaling $15,000. First-, second-, and third- place winners were selected in each of Nebraska’s three U.S. Congressional districts, and one set of winners was selected from outside Nebraska.
“We are proud of the 14 winners and of all 1,044 seventh and eighth graders who took time to enter the writing contest and tell us about their educational goals. We recognize that all the students who entered put time, effort, and thought into their work, making the task of choosing winners difficult for us. This year, in fact, we had two ties. The essays I read were creative and sincere and included themes of hard work, positive family influences, and perseverance,” Stenberg said.
“We also want to thank the teachers and parents who encouraged children to enter the writing contest and who support the value of learning to write well in the classroom and at home,” he said.
Stenberg said the annual writing contest, now in its 12th year, has been an effective way for seventh and eighth graders to reflect on the value of higher education and to think about how they will pay for their education at a four-year college, a community college, or a technical school. The contest is an opportunity for students to add to their Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) accounts or to get started saving if they do not already have accounts, Stenberg said.
“While parents are encouraged to start saving for their children’s education from birth, they can still accumulate substantial savings and take advantage of significant tax incentives by opening accounts when children are junior high school age,” Stenberg said.
The writing contest entries were judged by students and faculty in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha with final selections made by Treasurer Stenberg.
The 2014 winners are as follows:
1st Congressional District - Nebraska
| First: | Bethany Black | Schuyler Middle School | Schuyler, NE |
| Second: | Breanna Smith | Logan View Public School | Hooper, NE |
| Third (tie): | Elizabeth Zander | Pound Middle School | Lincoln, NE |
| Third (tie): | Guadalupe Rodriguez | Schuyler Middle School | Schuyler, NE |
2nd Congressional District - Nebraska
| First: | Kayla Martin | Gretna Middle School | Gretna, NE |
| Second: | Paige Miller | Gretna Middle School | Gretna, NE |
| Third (tie): | Dawson Beutler | Russell Middle School | Omaha, NE |
| Third (tie): | Mitchell Feagins | Peter Kiewit Middle School | Omaha, NE |
3rd Congressional District - Nebraska
| First: | Dominic Naughtin | Sutherland Public School | Sutherland, NE |
| Second: | Sophia Harder | Randolph Public School | Belden, NE |
| Third: | Brandy Friedrichsen | Centura Public School | Boelus, NE |
Out-of-State
| First: | Amy Burke | Moore Middle School | Arvada, CO |
| Second: | Gina Kim | Field Middle School | Glenview, IL |
| Third: | Anne Moellers | Christ the King Catholic School | Little Rock, AR |
Below are excerpts from the first-place essays on “Why I Want to Go to College.”
Bethany Black, 1st District
"Have you ever had that time in your childhood when you absolutely despised the idea of going to college? Age 7. Have you ever known the feeling that you have to go to college even though you don’t like school and you don’t want more of it? Age 9. Have you known the feeling of starting to realize the importance of college, but dreading the day you have to be responsible? Age 11. Have you ever gone to drop off an older sibling at college and started to want to go to college because you see all the freedom they have? Age 13.”
Kayla Martin, 2nd District
“When I think about life, it can be complicated. It kind of reminds me of walking across a river on stones. Each little part of life is a stepping stone, and it’s going to be pretty tough getting across the river without having one stone after the next. If one stone is missing, it is going to be easier to fall in than it is to get across. My first stones are made up of my childhood decisions.”
Dominic Naughtin, 3rd District
“When I go to college, I plan on majoring in computer science. Computer science includes the programming and code behind all of the games, apps, and other tools that are available on a computer. I want to be able to learn that coding language so that I can create my own programs, or maybe even my own operating system. My operating system idea is a “CORE” OS that people won’t have to update so often. This CORE OS would contain the basic tools and functions of a computer, but it could be customized with different plug-ins that specify different tasks important to the user.”
Amy Burke, Outside Nebraska
“In college, I see a great opportunity to find who Amy Burke really is. This life-searching discovery seems like one of the most important aspects of college. Why do I want to become a teacher? What grade do I want to teach? How am I going to stand out in the world? What difference am I going to make? These little pieces of the puzzle of life will later become some of the most important discoveries when it comes to my future. After all, you cannot see the whole picture unless the puzzle is put together.”
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.
