Rockwood South Middle Schooler Wins Money Smart Scholarship

It’s never too early to become money smart.  Three Money Smart Kid Essay Contest winners proved that recently by earning scholarships from Country Financial.

Country Financial announced the winners of the Money Smart Kid Essay Contest in a news release Friday at the Money Smart Kick-Off. The company awarded a $1,500 scholarship to Avery Iven of St. Charles and $250 scholarships to Delilah Sayer of Fenton and Rahul Solaiappan of Ballwin.

Iven is an eighth-grader at Francis Howell Middle School.  Her essay, “Money Smart,” described the decision-making process needed before borrowing money. 

Runners up, Sayer, a sixth-grader at , and Solaiappan, a seventh-grader at Parkway Southwest Middle School, each received $250 scholarships.   

Country sponsored the contest as part of Money Smart Week, a series of free seminars aimed at promoting financial education throughout the St. Louis area.  The Money Smart Kid Essay Contest encourages middle school students to think about fiscal responsibility.

For the contest, Country asked contestants: Give an example of when it is wise to borrow money and when it is not.  What factors do you need to consider to help you make a responsible choice?

“At Country we believe it’s never too early to think about being money smart. Lessons we learn as young people can make an impression on our decisions as we age,” said Nathan Hubbard, agency manager of St. Louis West, “This year’s contest winners demonstrated you can practice good money management at any age.” 

For additional information about Money Smart Week visit www.moneysmartweek.org.