Winners in the 2018 “Why I Want to Go to College” writing contest, sponsored by the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office and the Omaha Storm Chasers, were announced today by Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg. The winners will be recognized Sunday, May 6, before the start of the Storm Chasers game at Werner Park in Papillion.
“We are excited to recognize our writing contest winners at Werner Park on Sunday and to present each of them with a contribution to a Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST 529) college savings account. This is the 16th year of our writing contest for seventh and eighth graders, and, like in past years, we are impressed with the quality of the students’ writing, their clarity of vision for their futures, and their expressions of gratitude to parents, siblings, teachers, and mentors,” said Treasurer Stenberg, Trustee of NEST.
Winners receive contributions to NEST 529 college savings plans, ranging in value from $500 for third place, $1,000 for second place, and $2,000 for first place. Three winners were chosen in each of Nebraska’s three U.S. congressional districts. Three winners from outside Nebraska also were chosen.
A total of 879 essays were received in this year’s contest, which was announced in January and closed March 2. Students were asked to reflect in their written entries on the value of education and what they hope to achieve through higher education. Preliminary judging was done by students and faculty at Midland University in Fremont and staff of the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office. Treasurer Stenberg made the final selections.
Winners of the 2018 contest and their hometowns are listed below:
1st Congressional District — Nebraska
| First: | Carmen Marley | Lincoln |
| Second: | Adeline Stanley | Blair |
| Third: | Julia Abraham | Lincoln |
2nd Congressional District — Nebraska
| First: | Isaiah Currie | Gretna |
| Second: | Molly McBride | Omaha |
| Third: | Logan Miller | Springfield |
3rd Congressional District — Nebraska
| First: | Kennedy Warneke | Pierce |
| Second: | Juliana Schmitz | Kearney |
| Third: | Shelby March | Wymore |
Outside Nebraska
| First: | Tyler Laureano | Orlando, Florida |
| Second: | Alexander Williford | Bloomington, Illinois |
| Third: | Olivia Foster | Brookings, South Dakota |
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.
About First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska and its affiliates have more than $23 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.
