Three high school students receive scholarships from Kansas Department of Insurance

May 10, 2024

WIBW, May 9, 2024 – click to view originial article

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Three high school students received scholarships for a financial literacy essay contest from the Kansas Department of Insurance.

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced on Thursday, May 9, the overall winner of the financial literacy essay contest sponsored by the Securities Division of the Kansas Department of Insurance.

According to the Kansas Department of Insurance, earlier this year, the Department granted $10,000 each to three organizations for a financial literacy essay contest. Jobs for America’s Graduates Kansas (JAG-K), Junior Achievement of Kansas and the Kansas Council for Economic Education each entered a selection of essays from Kansas students who participated in their financial literacy programs offered in over 200 high schools across Kansas. The students with the top three essays from each organization were awarded a share of $10,000 in scholarships. The first-place essay from each organization then advanced to compete for an overall contest winner and a share of an additional $10,000.

The contest finalists and their awards are:

  • 1st Place: $5000 – Morgan Allen, (Kansas Council for Economic Education), Centralia High School
  • 2nd Place: $3000 – Maggie Lesmeister, (Junior Achievement of Kansas), Seaman High School
  • 3rd Place: $2,000 – Steven Nguyen, (Jobs for America’s Graduates Kansas), Wichita Southeast High School

“This year’s winners demonstrated the ability to make an investment plan that builds upon their personal goals while evaluating risk and the threat of fraud,” said Schmidt. “Congratulations to all the winners this year, and I encourage them to apply their financial knowledge as they further their education.”

Kansas Department of Insurance said the winning students receive their scholarships in addition to the $5,000 scholarship they won in the first round of the contest. The students receive the award money in the form of a 529 savings account to use for the advancement of their education.

Kansas Department of Insurance previously announced winners from each participating organization can be found online at insurance.kansas.gov/news. For more information about the Kansas Insurance Department or to learn more about making smart investment decisions, visit insurance.kansas.gov and SmartInvestKS.com.

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