CHET - Dream Big

The kids are officially going back to school, literally! I am so excited to have my littles in school

again, and with their friends and teachers present.

We are starting our school year on a good note planning, organizing, and including leadership

building. There is so much to keep track of as a mom of early elementary school students; forms

to complete, supplies to purchase, doctor’s appointments, etc. We want our children to have a

fantastic school year and especially for Amelia, since she is 8 years old now, we want to support

her growth as she matures into a pre-teen.

This is also the perfect time to really start planning for our kid’s future. The Connecticut Higher

Education Trust (CHET) is one way to help you do just that. The CHET Dream Big! Competition

gives students in grades K-8 and the High School Senior Class of 2022 a chance to win money

for higher education costs, awarding over $350,000 statewide. And the competition theme of

being active in your community is something I really like.

We plan on teaching the girls the importance of giving back to our community, so they are able

to have the opportunity to apply their classroom learning to real life. I would love to see Amelia

and Aylah building habits like leadership, problem-solving, and time- management; all

important skills to acquire. I have found that the children that give back and engage in

community service seem to be more responsible and are able to have higher self-esteem and

resilience.

Students in grades K-8 can enter for a chance to win a $529 CHET account contribution by

responding to the question “How have or will you help the community?” Entries can be an

essay, art (drawing, painting, poem, or photograph) or a video.

High School Senior Class of 2022 can enter to win up to a $5,000 scholarship. High school

student winners will be chosen based on their response to the question, “What are your future

goals to have a voice or leadership role in your own community?” Submissions must be

uploaded as an essay or video. Students will also need to provide information on their academic

achievement, extracurricular activities, and community service.

Entries and program details can be found at https://go.fidelity.com/dreambig529. Submission

deadline is September 22, 2021 #ad