Winners of TNStars $529 College Savings Month Scholarships Announced

NASHVILLE – Three Tennessee children have won a $529 scholarship deposited into a TNStars College Savings 529 account in celebration of College Savings Month in Tennessee.

Governor Bill Lee issued a proclamation declaring September as College Savings Month in Tennessee. To celebrate, State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. and the TNStars College Savings 529 Program made the scholarship giveaway available throughout September to all Tennessee residents, age 21 and older, to enter online on behalf of a child age 15 or under.

These three winners were randomly chosen from each of the state’s Grand Divisions:

• Reagan Orsland, 14, of Memphis, enjoys playing on her school volleyball team, playing the cello, spending time with friends, and doting on her little brother. She aspires to attend Rhodes College.

• Cooper White, 14, of Bethpage, enjoys playing football, baseball, and fishing. When he grows up, he wants to be either an investor or a professional athlete.

• Liam Sitton, 15, of Knoxville, loves sports, plays on his school lacrosse team, and also enjoys outdoor activities as a Boy Scout. Liam would like to pursue a career in voiceovers, multimedia production, or sports media after graduation.

"I want to congratulate Reagan, Cooper, and Liam, and encourage each of them to use these scholarship funds to pursue their career aspirations,” Treasurer Lillard said. “It's important to start saving early, so that compounding interest works for you rather than against you with student loans, and I hope this scholarsip will help you get started down that path.”

Research shows that students with dedicated savings for college are about seven times more likely to attend college than children with no dedicated account. TNStars offers quality investment options at a low cost, so families can save more money for college. Even small, consistent contributions to a 529 account can make a big impact over time.

Money invested in a TNStars account grows tax-free when used for qualified higher education expenses including tuition, room and board, books, computers and more.  Families can open an account with as little as $25 to start. Money in the account can be used to complement other financial resources that may be available to the student in the future.

TNStars is a program of the Tennessee Department of Treasury. To learn more about TNStars or to open an account, visit TNStars.com.