Honga wins statewide InvestWrite essay contest – Park Rapids Enterprise

Mason Honga, a sophomore at Menahga High School, ranked first in Minnesota in the fall 2024 InvestWrite competition, a national writing contest that “challenges students to apply their knowledge of the stock market and personal finance in a real-world context.”

According to a news release, InvestWrite is an extension of The Stock Market Game, a free program offered since 1992 in Minnesota by BestPrep.

Menahga High School business teacher Randy Thompson said he’s been utilizing the game in his classroom for the past several years.

“It’s wonderful, especially for northern Minnesota,” he said. “It’s all realistic. It’s all simulated online. Everything is real, except the money. You start with the money – $100,000 – and you get to play with it however you want to. It’s real time, by the minute, if you day trade, and then mutual funds at the end, at 3 p.m., just like in real life.”

Tovin Sannes-Venhuizen, program manager for The Stock Game, said, “Mason demonstrated an impressive grasp of risk tolerance and communicated his ideas in a thoughtful and articulate way. We’re incredibly proud and excited to see how his understanding of financial literacy will prepare him for a successful life.”

Last fall, Honga “invested” in stocks, like Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Nvidia, through the game. He wrote, “I believe that I was pretty diversified with my stocks. I invested in some tech companies, automotive companies, shoe and clothing companies, some fast-food companies and food chains, and some beverage companies.”

Sannes-Venhuizen said Honga’s 8% gain “is very respectable in the professional world. The 200% to 300% gains you see on social media is not realistic in the long-term. Eight percent is a much more realistic and safer bet. Most professionals are happy if they get 5% over a year, so 8% over four months is very impressive.”

In Honga’s winning essay, he wrote, “I feel that The Stock Game is a great way for students to learn about money and the real world. Instead of beating the market, just be the market, and being diversified is the way to success.”

He’s the son of Jeremy and Tenelle Honga.

Mason’s essay is included with this article at www.parkrapidsenterprise.com.

According to the release, BestPrep is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing students with business, career and financial literary skills through hands-on experience. Since 1976, BestPrep has served more than 1.8 million Minnesota students and teachers. All of the organizations’ in-school programs are offered free of charge to schools.