Bloomfield Hills Financial Scholarship Winners Named

Three Metro Detroit teens were recently named recipients of the first sponsored by .

senior Margaux Kabodian was the first-place winner, netting $5,000 toward her college education. The Novi resident plans to attend Albion College in Albion this fall.

Second place winner Christopher Kolzer, a sophomore at , earned $2,000 for his education, and classmate Kyle Bone, received $1,000. Both of them are eligible to compete and win future scholarships.

Each student received access to an online personal stock market account seeded with $100,000 in virtual cash to purchase stocks. They could trade stocks from their portfolio at will with the goal to earn more profits than any other participant. Margeaux nearly doubled her initial investment, amassing $199,065.50.

Kevin VanDyke, Founder and President of , said he established the contest in February with the goal to raise financial awareness and literacy among high school students. He modeled it after his own experience, in which his father gave him a lump sum of money to invest when he entered college. VanDyke tripled his money and changed career paths into financial planning. Bloomfield Hills Financial now provides investment guidance and personalized customer service to individuals, executives and business owners.

“It’s never too early to learn about the global marketplace. I have spent my career teaching retirees and investors how to grow their savings," VanDyke said in a release. "Helping high school students learn about managing their money will provide them benefits that can last a lifetime.”

The contest drew 650 applications from students representing 72 high schools in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.