A Chandler student was honored as one of the winners of the sixth annual AZ529 Essay Contest. Ashna Kalagara, a fifth-grader at New Vistas Center for Education in Chandler, was among the 20 winners chosen from among 876 entries statewide.

Arizona’s Treasurer, Kimberly Yee, annually challenges fifth- and sixth-graders to “dream big” and submit an essay describing their specific dream job and how they will achieve it.

Twenty winners were chosen this year, representing every Arizona county and district, along with public, charter, private, tribal and homeschool students.
Each winner receives a prize of $529, donated toward the AZ529 savings account heavily promoted by the Treasurer’s Office.

Kalagara wrote about her career goal of becoming a cardiologist.

For comparison, the other East Valley student among the 20 winners, Bristyn McKinney, shared her dream of becoming surgical or perioperative nurse.

The 20 winners were honored during a ceremony at the State Capitol, Nov. 3, where they posed for a group photo and individual photos with State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who presented a giant symbolic check for $529.

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