News Release: Students Receive Financial Literacy Scholarships from KS Dept of Insurance

Three participants in Jobs for Americas’ Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) – all from Newton High School – were announced Wednesday as winners of the fourth annual financial literacy essay contest sponsored by the Securities Division of the Kansas Department of Insurance.

The office of Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt selected the scholarship winners, which were revealed at the JAG-K Career Development Conference hosted at the Wichita State University Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex. The scholarship winners included:

1 ^st Place, $5,000 – Joel Umana, Newton High School

2 ^nd Place, $3,000 – Amiyah Beard, Newton High School

3 ^rd Place, $2,000 – Alex Toribo-Trana, Newton High School

Kansas’ 114 JAG-K programs, serving approximately 6,000 students in 48 school districts across the state, reported a graduation rate of 97 percent in the last reporting period. One of the responsibilities of JAG-K is the instruction of sound financial management to its participants, many of whom come from low-income families.

Students from across Kansas entered essays, and for the first time in the four-year history of the competition, all three winners were from the same school.

“I am extremely proud of my students for their hard work,” said Newton High School JAG-K Career Specialist Kylee Raigoza. “They are so excited for each other. 

“Financial literacy is so important in these students lives. We talk about real world challenges, exploring their own strength and weaknesses, and planning for the future they want to achieve.” 

The Securities Division works to protect Kansas citizens by creating awareness of fraudulent activity in the securities industry and by assisting the Kansas Attorney General in identifying and prosecuting fraud. The Securities Division is partnering with student development organizations like JAG-K to support and promote financial literacy programs throughout the state.

The Kansas Department of Insurance donated $25,000 to help support JAG-K’s efforts to teach important financial concepts to the students in the program. A portion of the donated funds were designated for a financial literacy essay contest in which the top three JAG-K student essays would split a share of $10,000 in scholarship funds.

“This year’s winners showed strong knowledge of investment fraud risks and how to apply techniques designed to stop scammers,” said Commissioner Schmidt. “The essays show that JAG-K students are obtaining practical money skills that will serve them well in adulthood.”

The three students will now have the opportunity to compete against winners of financial literacy competitions representing two other Kansas organizations for the chance to win an additional $5,000, $3,000, or $2,000.

JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. Participants in the program face multiple barriers to success that their JAG-K Career Specialist helps them overcome through a nationally-accredited, evidence-based model.

The 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization is a state affiliate of the national JAG program network which operates in 36 different states and territories. It is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include ADM, AT&T, Barton Community College, EagleU, Goldstein Charitable Trust, Independence Community College, the JB and Anne Hodgdon Foundation, Honeywell, John Deere, Johnson County Community College, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Gas Service, the Kansas Insurance Department, Magellan Financial, Mark One Electric, the Office of the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, United Way of Kaw Valley, United Way of the Plains, U.S. Bank, Walmart and Washburn Tech.

To learn more about JAG-K, visit  www.jagkansas.org, or ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook, X and LinkedIn.

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