This past summer, Viewmont fifth-grader Jade Marshall had the goal of reading 100 books.

“I usually check out two from the school library and five from the branch near my home every week,” said the Taylorsville resident. “I read graphic novels or novels. I like adventure and action, mystery, informative, and some ghost stories, too.”

Shortly before school was out, Jade tracked her minutes from April 15 to May 15 as part of the Road to Success’s annual my529 Read-a-Thon contest open to kindergarten through sixth-grade students.

“I read something like 6,000 minutes in those 30 days. I read basically an hour or more every night and an hour every morning. I’d get up at six in the morning and read until seven. About then, my mom would yell at me to make my bed and stuff. Then, after school, I’d get home and read—unless I have soccer,” she said.

Those minutes Jade tracked on her watch helped her be the top reader that month at Viewmont Elementary. Her name was put into a pool with other students from Murray School District representing their schools and her name was randomly drawn. 

Jade won a $1,000 my529 scholarship earmarked for college or further education’s tuition and mandatory fees; books; required supplies; or equipment. The my529, Utah’s educational savings plan, is a Utah state agency which helps individuals save for qualified education expenses in a tax-advantaged investment vehicle account.

“I was outside with a couple of my friends playing Four Square when the intercom said something.  I didn’t hear it because I was already outside, but then some more friends came outside and they said, you won $1,000. So, I ran inside to hear it. When I ran back outside, I started kind of dancing running around,” she said.

Jade already has plans to attend college. She wants to study at the University of Utah or Brigham Young University to get into the medical field or paleontology.

“I want to help people with their illnesses. I want to be the person, the technician, who talks to the patients and provides all the information for the doctor. Or else, I want to be a paleontologist. I want to use a brush to discover something and then dig it out. I’ve seen them at the Natural History Museum; that’s where I got my inspiration from,” she said.

Jade also wants to earn an athletic scholarship to help pay for school.

“I want to play soccer because I love soccer, but I also play volleyball and tennis,” said the defensive player on the pitch who also can play goalkeeper.

Jade hasn’t always been a reader.

“I used to watch TV and stuff, but I’m now more into books. I discovered I like reading and I didn’t realize that before,” she said.

The incoming sixth grader gives credit to her school librarian, Emilee Barnett.

“It was in the fall that I started to read more. She told us about the Beanstack app to track our minutes, so we basically got on it every day to put in my minutes and check for anything new. When I saw the my529 contest, I started doing it. She’s been encouraging and she suggested books knowing what I like to read and learn,” Jade said. “Reading for me, it’s kind of just zoning out because I feel as if I’m in a different world or I’m in the character’s shoes. It makes me feel like I’m out of this world and into their world. I find inspiration from reading.” λ