(Somerville, MA) Naveo Credit Union member Allison Sciarratta was the grand prize winner of the annual Cooperative Credit Union Association’s 7th & 8th Grade Student Essay Contest. Sciarratta was selected as the winner out of nearly 800 entries from the across the state.

This year’s essay topic was “Save. Spend. Share. Learn. What could you teach an adult to form better savings and spending habits? Please provide practical advice to adopt sound plans and to avoid poor behavior.” Sciarratta, a student at Marshall Simonds Middle School in Burlington, MA, chose to write about proper budgeting techniques and smart credit card purchases in her essay that won her the top spot. 

Sciarratta and seven other finalists were honored at an award luncheon hosted by the Cooperative Credit Union Association and sponsoring credit unions on June 2 in Marlborough. As the grand prize winner, Sciarratta was presented with a $500 check along with an award certificate from the CCUA. In addition, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karen Polito took time to applaud Sciarratta and the other finalists by providing each with gubernatorial citations. Lawmakers in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate representing each student’s hometown praised their student constituents with personal messages and legislative citations as well.

“Congratulations to Allison and all the student essay contest finalists. Today it is so important to grasp sound money management skills at a young age in preparation for college and life in general. Allison provided some great advice on how to budget, spend wisely and even save for a vacation by setting money aside each month.” commented Rui F. Domingos, Chief Executive Officer at Naveo Credit Union.