“WAIPAHU 3” TEAM WINS 2022 HAWAII LIFESMARTS STATE COMPETITION

News Release from DCCA, Feb 14, 2022

HONOLULU – The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Office of the Securities Commissioner and Insurance Division announces that a team from Waipahu High School won the Hawaii LifeSmarts Virtual State Competition held on February 12.

The game-show style competition tests students on their knowledge of personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities through an individual test, “speed smarts” activity, and game-show style buzzer rounds.

Teams first participated in an online competition, with the top four scoring teams earning an invitation to compete in last Saturday’s state competition. The annual event, typically held in-person, was conducted virtually for the first time due to ongoing COVID-19 safety concerns.

As the 2022 state champions, the team from Waipahu will have the opportunity to represent Hawaii at the National LifeSmarts Competition in Washington, D.C. from April 21 – 24, 2022.  Members of the team are: Ross Cadelina (team captain), Estefany Bayudan, Isabella Delos Santos, and Keziah Ancheta. The team was coached by Cindy Takara.

“Hawaii LifeSmarts strives to provide an educational experience for our students in a way that is engaging and relevant,” said DCCA Director Catherine Awakuni Colón. “We hope that this foundation of consumer knowledge will help them thrive and be ‘life smart’ as they are faced with challenges in the real world. Congratulations to “Waipahu 3” and good luck at the National Competition!”

“We are excited for “Waipahu 3” to represent Hawaii at the National Competition,” said Securities Commissioner Ty Nohara. “We’d like to thank all of the participants, our staff, volunteers, and community partners for their contributions towards this valuable youth program.”

LifeSmarts is a free educational program that prepares students to enter the real world as smart consumers by teaching them the skills needed to succeed in today’s global marketplace. It is a program of the National Consumers League that is locally run and sponsored by the DCCA Office of the Securities Commissioner and Insurance Division, in partnership with the Hawaii Credit Union League.

Community Supporters of the 2022 Hawaii State Competition include:

Aloha Pacific Federal Credit Union
Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific
Big Island Federal Credit Union
Cisco Systems
Coastal Construction Company Inc.
Department of the Attorney General, Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division, Community and Crime Prevention Branch
Farmers Hawaii
Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union
Hawaii Credit Union League
Hawaii Dental Service
Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), Local 152
Hawaii Information Service
Hawaii State Federal Credit Union
HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union Foundation
HMSA
HMSA Employees Federal Credit Union
Honolulu Fire Department Federal Credit Union
Island Energy Services
Kualoa Ranch Hawaii
Pasha Group and Pasha Hawaii
Pearl Hawaii Federal Credit Union
Schofield Federal Credit Union
University of Hawaii at Manoa Shidler College of Business Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE)

Visit www.LifeSmartsHawaii.com for more information and to watch a recording of the Award Ceremony.

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