Attention Utah high school students!

Governor Gary R. Herbert invites you to plan for life after graduation by participating in The Governor’s Reality Check Challenge―and enter to win a $1,000, $500, or $100 contribution to a Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 529 college savings account!

The State of Utah offers some great college and career exploration tools on www.UtahFutures.org. One of those tools―Reality Check―is a personalized online assessment that shows you:

·       How much your housing, food, clothes, transportation, school, and other items will cost each month

·       Salaries paid by different occupations

·       Which occupations will support the lifestyle you want to live

Reality Check is the basis of The Governor’s Reality Check Challenge. Eligible students who complete the challenge requirements (see below) will be entered into a drawing for one of five prizes*:

·       The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 contribution to their UESP account

·       Three more winners will receive a $500 contribution to their UESP account

·       The final winner will receive a $100 contribution to their UESP account

UESP is Utah’s official nonprofit 529 college savings program. As a tax-advantaged savings vehicle, UESP is dedicated to one purpose―helping people save for college. Funds in a UESP account can be used for qualified higher education expenses at any college, university, or technical school that participates in federal financial aid programs for students in the U.S. or abroad (not only institutions in Utah). Visit http://fafsa.ed.gov for a list of eligible schools.

For more information on UESP, visit www.uesp.org or call 800.418.2551.

The Challenge

To be eligible for the prize drawing, complete the following steps between Tuesday, October 11, 2011, and 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 21, 2011:

1.     Go to www.UtahFutures.org and login to your UtahFutures account. You will need to know your State Student Identifier (SSID)―it will be your UtahFutures username. If you don’t know your SSID and login information, check with your school's guidance counselor.

2.     Go to http://realitycheckchallenge.eventbrite.com and register for the challenge by providing your         first and last name, your UtahFutures username, and your phone number and e-mail address.

3.     Log in to www.utahfutures.org.

4.     Click on the "Career Interest Surveys" tab near the top of the screen. Select "Reality Check"―it’s the first option on the right side of the screen.

5.     Watch the online video. It’s one minute and 30 seconds in length and explains the assessment.

6.     Click the "Get a Reality Check" button and complete the assessment. Save the assessment by                clicking on the star entitled "Save as New."

7.     In the text box that appears, record something you learned from doing the assessment.

Winners will be notified the week of October 24 and given instructions on how to claim their UESP award.

 If you have any additional questions regarding the contest, please e-mail outreach@utahsbr.edu.

                * Contest winners must be willing to comply with the rules and requirements delineated by UESP in the account creation and awarding process.