Sallie Mae Announces Winners of ‘Make College Happen Challenge’

Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, today announced the top three winners of the “Make College Happen Challenge,” the contest that asked high school students to describe creatively how they plan to pay for college. More than 30,000 votes were cast for 10 winning entries, which included videos, song parodies, a comic book, and a poem. Those votes from the public were combined with scores from contest judges to choose the top three winners.

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Sallie Mae “Make College Happen Challenge” contest winners Alexander Gomez of Ruidoso, N.M., Kaci Nuehring of Clive, Iowa, and Nicolas Badila of Jonesboro, Ga. (Photo: Business Wire)

And the top three winners are:

• Kaci Nuehring, 18, of Clive, Iowa, who won the grand prize of $15,000.
• Nicolas Badila, 17, of Jonesboro, Ga., who won the second place prize of $10,000.
• Alexander Gomez, 18, of Ruidoso, N.M., who won the third place prize of $7,500.

The top three winners originally were competing for a grand prize of $10,000, a second-place prize of $5,000, and a third-place prize of $2,500. Sallie Mae was so impressed by the entries of each recipient, and recognizing the distance each traveled to attend the Boston-area celebration event, the company decided to provide each of the winners with an additional $5,000.

“Our research shows almost all families believe college is a worthwhile and critical investment in their children’s future, yet only two in five have a plan to pay for it,” said Charlie Rocha, executive vice president, Sallie Mae. “Sometimes, the hardest part is simply getting started, but it’s clear our winners have given this issue serious thought and are on the right track. Their personal journeys and detailed plans to reach college were so impressive, we wanted to go one step further and reward each with an additional $5,000.”

Grand prize winner Kaci Nuehring is a senior at Waukee High School in Waukee, Iowa, who plans to attend the University of Kansas and become a pharmacist. Her contest video uses whiteboard animation to describe her four-point plan to pay for college: take advanced placement classes while in high school to earn college credits and save on tuition; apply for multiple scholarships; work part-time to build savings; and research student loans and interest rates.

Second-place winner Nicolas Badila is a home-schooled high school junior. Already pursuing an associate’s degree at Gwinnett Technical College, he hopes to study computer science or business at Morehouse College. He produced an autobiographical video that features video games he created, including one President Barack Obama played at a White House Science Fair.

Third-place winner Alexander Gomez is a senior at Ruidoso High School in Ruidoso, N.M., who plans to study art and illustration at the University of Colorado. Alex has been accepted to the University’s Honors and Leadership program. He created an animated video that illustrates steps he is taking to reduce college expenses, including taking dual credit and advanced placement classes and applying for scholarships.

Sallie Mae conducted the “Make College Happen Challenge” in partnership with By Kids For Kids, a leader in education that inspires innovation in youth.

“Kids are 25 percent of our population, but 100 percent of our future,” said Norm Goldstein, founder and CEO, By Kids For Kids. “We are proud to be working with Sallie Mae to help students realize their potential, and we congratulate not just the winners, but all the contest participants who took the time to think about how they would make college happen.”

Sallie Mae also awarded $1,000 to the following “Make College Happen Challenge” winners who rounded out the top ten finalists:

• Makaila Garcia of Charlotte, N.C.
• Karis Holm of Castle Rock, Colo.
• Ellen Lewis of Winfred, S.D.
• Ebony Lockwood of Columbus, Ga.
• Colson Mullane of West Des Moines, Iowa.
• Josephine Rieman of Mt. Laurel, N.J.
• Mason Stratton of West Des Moines, Iowa.

To see all 10 winning entries, visit MakeCollegeHappenChallenge.com/winners.

For free planning-for-college tips, tools, and resources visit SallieMae.com/PlanforCollege.

About By Kids For Kids

By Kids For Kids® (BKFK) is an agency that empowers youth invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship. BKFK provides a unique platform for kids and teens to develop and showcase their ideas, inventions, and entrepreneurship. The company provides free educational resources, including curricula and challenges that promote social change, product innovation, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Learn more: www.bkfk.com.

About Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

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