Have a Plan to Pay for College? Enter Sallie Mae’s ‘Make College Happen Challenge’ for a Chance to Win Your Share of $40,000

Nation’s Saving, Planning, and Paying for College Company to
Reward High School Students Who Creatively Describe How They Plan to Pay
for College

NEWARK, Del.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The research
is clear: students who create a plan to pay for college are more
prepared to meet the cost of college, so Sallie Mae — the nation’s
saving, planning, and paying for college company — will again encourage
students to do just that through the “Make
College Happen Challenge,” the contest that rewards high school
students who creatively describe how they plan to pay for college.

Open to high school students ages 14-18, the second annual “Make
College Happen Challenge” will award 10 prizes totaling $40,000: a
first-place prize of $15,000, a second-place prize of $10,000, a
third-place prize of $8,000, and $1,000 to seven semifinalists. Students
may submit their entries in videos, photos, essays, songs, poems, or
other creative formats between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.

“Every student should have the opportunity to make college happen and
that starts with a plan to pay for it,” said Martha Holler, senior vice
president, Sallie Mae. “While there is no single way to pay for college,
the benefits of college planning are universal. Through essays, videos,
raps, and even a college planning video game, we heard from so many
impressive students last year, and they were speaking not only to us,
but also to their peers, providing practical tips for college planning.
It’s amazing to see this growing community of college planners, and we
can’t wait to meet the next group through this year’s challenge.”

Alexander Gomez, now a freshman at the University of Colorado at Denver,
was one of last year’s “Make College Happen Challenge” winners. He
created an animated video that illustrates steps he took to reduce
college expenses, including taking dual-credit and advanced-placement
classes and applying for scholarships.

“There’s no magic bullet when it comes to paying for college, but a
little preparation can go a long way,” said Gomez. “Understanding costs
upfront, making sure to complete important forms like the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid, and applying for scholarships or
contests like the ‘Make
College Happen Challenge’ can be game changers. After all, you can’t
win if you don’t apply!”

The 10 finalists will be chosen at the end of January based on the
creativity of their entry, effective communication of their message, and
the potential of their plan. The public will then have the opportunity
to choose their favorite entry from the 10 finalists by voting online
for a week in February. Top online vote-getters, combined with judges’
scores, will determine the contest winners, who will be announced in
March.

Sallie Mae conducts the “Make College Happen Challenge” in partnership
with By
Kids For Kids, a leader in education that inspires innovation in
youth.

“Motivating our young people to make the dream of higher education a
reality is integral to our mission at By Kids For Kids,” said Norman
Goldstein, CEO and founder, By Kids For Kids. “We are proud to again
partner with Sallie Mae to help students realize their potential and get
on the path to college.”

Sallie Mae offers a number of free planning-for-college tools, including
the College
Planning Calculator and Scholarship
Search by Sallie Mae. The company recommends students and families
follow its 1-2-3 approach to paying for college: first, maximize money
that does not need to be repaid, such as scholarships and grants;
second, explore federal student loans; and, third, consider a
responsible private education loan.

Sallie Mae will co-host a Twitter chat with Wise
Bread on Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. (EDT) to discuss planning for college and
the “Make College Happen Challenge.” To participate, use hashtags
#MakeCollegeHappen and #WBChat.

For more information, visit www.makecollegehappenchallenge.com.
For contest rules, visit www.makecollegehappenchallenge.com/rules.
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

About By Kids For Kids

By Kids For Kids (BKFK) is an agency that empowers youth invention,
innovation, and entrepreneurship. BKFK provides a unique platform for
kids and teens to develop and showcase their ideas, inventions, and
entrepreneurship. The company provides free educational resources,
including curricula and challenges that promote social change, product
innovation, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Learn more: www.bkfk.com.

About Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying
for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around
the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal
finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards,
scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail
banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com.
Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are
not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

Contacts

Sallie Mae
Rick Castellano, 302-451-2541
rick.castellano@salliemae.com
or
By
Kids For Kids
Judy Klym, 203-921-9039
Judy@bkfk.com