Greene County graduate Beth Teusch is one of 20 high school seniors across the state to receive a $1,500 scholarship through participation in the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship, administered by Iowa Student Loan.
This was the first year Iowa Student Loan offered the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship, which provided Iowa high school seniors the chance to win $1,500 for college while learning important financial literacy skills.
Between December 2013 and February 2014, registered high school seniors were asked to complete two online financial literacy tutorials — Student Loan Game Plan and the ROCI Reality Check — which Iowa Student Loan developed to help students understand the consequences of college borrowing and discover how to maximize their return on college investment, or ROCI. In addition, scholarship contenders were required to take an online financial literacy assessment test created by Ednalysis, an Iowa educational research company. Scholarship winners were determined from those who earned top scores on the assessment test.
“College should be an exciting time, but in recent years, it’s become increasingly stressful for Iowans. I understand that today, more than ever, students and families need help managing the increasing costs of college,” Branstad said. “Thanks to Iowa Student Loan and its programs, we are educating more students on how to make wise financial decisions when paying for college.”
The Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship was created to provide an additional funding source for college-bound seniors, as well as educate them on ways to minimize their borrowing for college and reach the financial potential of a college degree, said Christine Hensley, Iowa Student Loan board chair.
The scholarships can be used at the college or university of the winner’s choice in fall 2014.
