A 4 year old boy from the North Pole recently received a gift that is going to make it much easier for him to go to college when the time comes. Tristan Besser was awarded a $25,000 college scholarship from the University of Alaska College Savings Plan. Four other students were awarded smaller scholarships of $2,500 each during halftime of a Great Alaska Shootout game. All of the scholarships will be added to the winners’ accounts in the college savings plan.
According to Bonnie Carol of the University of Alaska College Savings Plan, the plan to increase the number of applications for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend was a big success thanks in large part to the awareness caused by these college scholarships. The UA College Savings Plan wanted to give people a reason to start saving again for their children’s college educations, and this scholarship was a great way to get this on people’s minds. In 2009, the number of people who signed up for the savings plan had decreased from the year before for the first time in a while. Members of the savings plan wanted to make sure that this did not happen again so they created this scholarship program to help raise awareness.
While Besser is only four years old and currently in preschool, the scholarship money will be a big help when it is time for him to attend college. The UA College Savings Plan says that this scholarship will be offered again next year, and hopefully many more years to come. Funding for these scholarships comes from a small percentage of fees charged to savings accounts, and in no way shape or form come from state funds. To apply for next year’s scholarships all you need to do is open a UA College Savings Plan account between January 1, 2011 and March 31, 2011.
