Siblings win big in national investing contest

In the inaugural National Secondary Schools Investing Competition organized by the Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission (TTSEC), brothers Alario and Antonio Andalcio, students at El Dorado East Secondary School, emerged as the top winners. The ceremony, held on April 11 at the TTSEC’s offices in Port of Spain, saw Alario claiming the first prize of $10,000 in securities donated by TTSEC, while Antonio secured the third position, earning $3,000 in securities sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange. Additionally, Sydney Look Fong from Naparima Girls’ High School clinched the second spot and won $5,000 in securities.

The competition, which ran from February 10 to April 4, 2025, invited participants aged 13 to 19 to engage in virtual trading using TTSEC’s InvestorQuest-TT.com platform. Over 349 students from 104 secondary schools competed by conducting simulated trades in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds from fictional companies.

Ayan­na Gas­pard-Clarke, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, commended the competition for its role in promoting financial literacy and its alignment with critical areas of the national education policy, such as finance, coding, and digital literacy. TTSEC CEO Kester Guy and Corporate Communications Manager Ellen Lewis also praised the initiative and emphasized the importance of further institutional collaboration through formal agreements and long-term monitoring.

Special awards were presented to Vesigny Secondary School, which received $10,000 in educational materials from the Bankers Association for the highest student registration of 106 students. David-Lee Skinner-Ballantyne, Head of Business Studies at Corpus Christi College, was awarded a $5,000 teacher prize sponsored by the Mutual Funds Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

Through initiatives like the National Secondary Schools Investing Competition, the TTSEC is playing a crucial role in fostering financial literacy and educating the younger generation about the intricacies of the financial markets. Such competitions not only provide practical experience to students but also help in preparing them for future financial decision-making and investments. The partnership between educational institutions and industry bodies is vital in ensuring the continued success of such initiatives and promoting a culture of financial awareness among the youth.