Governor Ralph Northam announced the winners of the 2020 Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance. More than 3,000 high school students from across the Commonwealth participated in an online competition, and the three winning teams will compete at the National Economics Challenge.
“I would like to congratulate the winners of the 2020 Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance. Students were able to compete virtually this year, so we were able to award winners in all the divisions, just as in previous years, in spite of the unique challenges we are currently facing. We are honored to have these students represent the Commonwealth in the national competition,” said Governor Northam. “Skills and knowledge in economics and personal finance are critically important because they will enable Virginia’s students to succeed in our increasingly complex global economy.”
The winners include:
David Ricardo Division (Economics)
- 1st Place: Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond City, Teacher: Allison Anthony
Students: Ronit Jain, Michael Kish, Abhay Duggirala, Sam Lichtman
Adam Smith Division (Advanced Economics)
- 1st Place: Thomas Jefferson High School, Fairfax County, Teacher: Jay Wickliff
Students: Richard Zhang, Vikram Raghu, Karen Song, Victoria Graf
Personal Finance Division
- 1st Place: Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond City. Teacher: Allison Anthony
Students: Dominic Dao, Miles Nardi, Kevin Ren, Richard Zhai
“Congratulations to the winning students, teachers, and schools. I am grateful for all the teachers and students who worked through this difficult time to participate in this annual competition,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. James Lane.
The Governor’s Challenge is conducted in partnership with the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE), a nonprofit organization focused on enhancing the quality of K–12 economic and financial education in Virginia.
Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni adds. “As a national leader in developing personal finance and economics requirements for our students, we are committed to providing students with high-quality education that equips them with sound economic decision-making capabilities and personal financial reasoning skills, ensuring they have the essential skills needed for life-long success.”
The 2020 Governor’s Challenge competition is made available at no cost to Virginia high schools thanks to VCEE sponsors, including Lead Sponsor, Capital One; Titanium Sponsor, Virginia529; and Teachers’ Sponsor, Virginia Lottery. To learn more about the Governor’s Challenge and other efforts to promote support economic and financial education for Virginia’s students, visit www.vcee.org. To see the regional winners, click here.