Today Nebraska Treasurer John Murante announced the winners in the 2020 “Why I Want to Go to College” contest, sponsored by the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office and the Omaha Storm Chasers. The winners will be recognized before the start of an upcoming Omaha Storm Chasers game at Werner Park in Papillion. The date and time of the game will be announced at a later date.
“It is always exciting to be able to recognize our writing contest winners. This is the 18th year of this contest for seventh and eighth graders, and, like in past years, the quality of the students’ writing, their clarity of vision for their futures, and their expressions of gratitude to parents, siblings, teachers, and mentors were tremendously impressive,” said Treasurer Murante, Trustee of NEST. "I look forward to meeting with these students later this year."
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.
Students were asked to reflect in their written entries on the value of education and what they hope to achieve through higher education. Winners of the 2020 contest and their hometowns are listed below:
1st Place - $2,000 NEST Account to Each Winner
| Dist. 1: | Olivia Wray | Scott Middle School, Lincoln, NE |
| Dist. 2: | Alexander Watson | Platteview Central Jr. High, Springfield, NE |
| Dist. 3: | Tanner Thramer | Giltner Public School, Giltner, NE |
2nd Place - $1,000 NEST Account to Each Winner
| Dist. 1: | Landon Fulton | Weeping Water Public School, Nehawka, NE |
| Dist. 2: | Owen Stehlik | Platteview Central Jr. High, Springfield, NE |
| Dist. 3: | Reece Mlady | Blue Hill Community Schools, Ayr, NE |
3rd Place - $500 NEST Account to Each Winner
| Dist. 1: | Jonathan Ryan | Ryan Christian Academy Home School, Lincoln, NE |
| Dist. 2: | Autumn Hines | Platteview Central Jr. High, Springfield, NE |
| Dist. 3: | Reagan Pelster | Wallace Public Schools, Wallace, NE |
About NEST 529
NEST 529 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 297,000 accounts, including over 97,000 Nebraskans. 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.
