First-place honors
Students from Land O’ Lakes High School earned first-place honors in the final round of the National Personal Finance Challenge in New York City, a competition organized by the Council for Economic Education (CEE).
The team of William Shelton, Rishabh Kanodia, Andrew Domonkos and Allen Ho, coached by Andrew Camp, demonstrated a winning knowledge of personal finance that sets young people on paths to lifelong success, according to a news release.
“You don’t learn about managing your money just by wishing, or about making complex economic choices just by following the news. It’s tough to thrive if you don’t understand,” said Nan J. Morrison, president and CEO of CEE, in the release.
“The students from Land O’ Lakes and all the teams who competed this year demonstrated an extraordinary level of knowledge in part because their schools offer classes in these life-essential topics,” said Morrison.
Each student on the first-place team receives a $2,000 cash prize.
Student graduates
- Andrea Renee Denton, Wesley Chapel: Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care, magna cum laude, Midwestern State University, Texas
- Kyle Dontas, Lutz: Master of Business Administration, Quinnipiac University, Connecticut
- Sydney Fleeman, Odessa: Dean’s List and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Valdosta State University, Georgia
- Melissa Garcia, Land O’ Lakes: Bachelor of Arts in Pyschology, Flagler College
- Tyler Heldt, Lutz: Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering, Marietta College, Ohio
- Jasmine Jenkins, Lutz: Graduted from Troy University, Alabama
- Angela Marshall, Wesley Chapel: Dean’s List and Master’s Degree from Harvard University, Massachusetts
- Shea McCurty, Lutz: Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physiology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
- Madelaine Mejia, Land O’ Lakes: Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communications/PR, Flagler College
- Silvia Quezada, Land O’ Lakes High: awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Marian University E.S. Witchger School of Engineering, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Rylind Breann Robinson, Wesley Chapel: Dean’s List and Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Shorter University, Georgia
- Karyn Savage, San Antonio: Master’s Degree in Education Hearing Impaired, Flagler College
ABC Program
All five offices of the Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano will accept donations during July for the Pasco County School District’s ABC (Assist, Believe & Care) Program.
The program was created to provide financial assistance to students and their families who are experiencing economic hardship, especially when those needs interfere with the student’s ability to be academically successful.
Monetary donations go into a fund that teachers can use when they see or learn of a need a child may have.
For information and office locations, contact Greg Giordano, assistant tax collector, at 727-847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.
Dean’s List recognitions
- Emersen Angel, Lutz: The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
- Anthony Rocco Becht, Wesley Chapel: Iowa State University
- Matthew Durrance, Lutz: South Dakota State University
- Molly Flanagan, Lutz: Norwich University, Vermont
- Angelica C. Gonzalez, Lutz: Iowa State University
- Madeline Griggs, Odessa: The University of Alabama
- Christian Hewitt, Odessa: The University of Alabama
- Jack Houser, Odessa, The University of Alabama
- Alexandra Jason, New Port Richey: Norwich University
- Peter Katsaros, Odessa: The University of Alabama
- Noah Kilpatrick, Lutz: The University of Alabama
- Andrea Lefebvre, Odessa: Valdosta State University
- Brianna Pearson, Lutz: The College of Saint Rose, New York
- Leia Randall, Land O’Lakes: University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
- Angelo Sardegna, Lutz: Curry College, Massachusetts
- Christiana Till, Odessa: The University of Alabama
- Allison Trask, Lutz: Harding University, Arkansas
- Emily Ymiolek, Lutz: The University of Alabama
Note: Emily Leonard, of Wesley Chapel, has been named to the President’s List at Mercer University, Georgia.
New campus president
Dr. Larissa Baia of Lakes Region Community College has joined Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as the Ybor City Campus president.
She succeeds Dr. Ginger Clark who retired in fall 2021 and Dustin Lemke who served in an interim capacity.
Dr. Baia brings more than two decades of experience in higher education to HCC, having served in executive-level positions in higher education, including her most recent position as president of Lakes Region Community College in Laconia, New Hampshire.
She is a graduate of Brandeis University and the University of Florida, receiving her Master’s in Latin American Studies and Ph.D. in political science from the latter.
Dr. Baia will assume her position at HCC on Aug. 15.
Money tip for students
The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) is encouraging students to become familiar with how credit scores work.
A credit score is a three-digit number that has a long-lasting effect on a person’s buying power.
Building a good credit score enables a person to tap into resources to buy a car or a house, or any other expensive need.
A bad credit score can make all transactions or loans more difficult and more expensive.
The most widely accepted scoring method comes from FICO, according to the KHEAA.
A FICO score ranges from 300 to 850 and is made up of these items:
- 35% is based on payment history: Early payments will have a higher number than on-time payments, which will have a higher score than late payments.
- 30% is based on outstanding debt: Outstanding debt is how much is owed on loans, mortgages, credit cards, etc. Having a lot of credit cards can hurt the score, expecially if it is near a borrowing limit.
- 15% is based on the length of time a person has credit: The longer a person has been borrowing and making payments on time, the better the score.
- 10% is based on new credit: Opening several new accounts will have a negative effect on a score. And the more inquiries that are on a credit report in a year, the lower the score will be.
- 10% is based on the types of credit a person has: It helps to have a mix of loan types. If a person has a credit card, an installment loan will even out the credit.
For more information, visit KHEAA.com.
