State Treasurer Announces Winners of the "Why I Want to go to College" Essay Contest

State Treasurer Ron Ross, along with the Omaha Royals Baseball Club, are pleased to announce that nine 7th and 8th grade students from across the state will receive a college savings account for their efforts in the 4th annual "Why I Want to Go to College" essay contest. "We want the young people of this state to be able to realize the dream of attending the college of their choice. The best way to do that is to work hard and start saving at a young age," said Treasurer Ross. The intent of the essay was for the student to recognize the importance of a college education and what they hope to achieve in life through education. Each of the three Nebraska Congressional Districts was awarded a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner. There were also a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner in the out of state category. "All of the essays submitted were outstanding. Every student who participated can be very proud of their entry," stated Treasurer Ross.

The winners of the essay contest are:

1st Place: $1,000 towards one of Nebraska's College Savings Plans
District 1	Maesen Churchill	Lux Middle School	Lincoln
District 2	Sheldon Black	Kiewit Middle School	Omaha
District 3	Michael Horky	Loup County Public Schools	Sargent
Out of State	Margaret Billingham	Hamilton Middle School	Madison, WI

2nd Place: $500 towards one of Nebraska's College Savings Plans
District 1	Caitlynn Lassek	Platteview Central Jr. High	Springfield
District 2	Kendra Jessen	Morton Middle School	Omaha
District 3	Chelsi Fry	Gering Jr. High	Gering
Out of State	Kathleen Wu	Polson Middle School	Madison, CT

3rd Place: $300 towards one of Nebraska's College Savings Plans
District 1	Cassie Mrsny	Winside Public School	Winside
District 2	Ryan Gates	St. Stephen the Martyr School	Omaha
District 3	Spencer Marie Armstrong	Adams Middle School	North Platte
Out of State	Dana Mays	Community Christian School	Oceanside, CA

In addition, each winner receives four tickets to the Nebraska vs. Creighton game on Tuesday, May 16 at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium. During the game, each winner will be recognized for his or her achievement. The winners will also receive four Henry Doorly Zoo passes. 1st Place winners will be treated to a one night stay at one of the Omaha area's premier hotels. Prizes are courtesy of the Omaha Royals and Nebraska State Treasurer's Office. Out of state participants (non-Nebraska residents) will receive monetary prizes of $1,000, $500, $300 towards one of Nebraska's College Savings Plans for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place respectively.

Nebraska's college savings plans are an excellent investment option allowing parents and grandparents the ability to save for college with tax savings advantages at both the State and Federal level. The savings can be applied to a number of public, private or religious schools nationwide. Since the inception of the program in January 2001, more than $1.2 Billion has been invested in close to 130,000 accounts.

The college savings program is administered by the Nebraska State Treasurer and Union Bank and Trust Company serves as the program manager. There are four plans within Nebraska's Educational Savings Plan Trust - the College Savings Plan of Nebraska, TD AMERITRADE 529 College Savings Plan, the AIM College Savings Plan and the State Farm College Savings Plan. For more information, contact Rachel Rezabek at 402-471-1088.

The Omaha Royals are the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. In 2005, over 300,000 fans watched Royals baseball last summer. Seventy-two home games are scheduled for 2006. For more information about the Omaha Royals, please log on to www.oroyals.com.