SANFORD - A team from Central Carolina Community College won the collegiate division in recent competition of the Stock Market Game.

The SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association) Foundation is responsible for the program. Amber Thomas, CCCC Business Technologies Instructor, worked through the non-profit North Carolina Council on Economic Education, which administered the project.

Members of the winning CCCC team were Shannon Eason, Amanda Holt, and Jennifer M. Womble, all of Harnett County. The team received a scholarship award from First Bank.

The game allows students to manage and invest a portfolio of $100,000 virtual dollars. Their investments are linked to the actual stock market. There are certain rules they must follow regarding how purchases are made, but they have lots of freedom to be creative and formulate their own beliefs and ideas to invest their money. The CCCC team showed a 5.71 percent return with a net equity gain of $5,706.82 in the nine-week session.

The team's portfolio included Apple, Cisco, Walt Disney, Facebook, Google, Nike, and Exxon Mobil.

The three participants said of their participation:

• Shannon Eason: "I think our team, 3 Times a Lady, did a wonderful job working together on this project. Our choice to make safe stock purchases with Google and Apple was a sure thing, but I think the best choice we made was with the Facebook purchase. Facebook stock volume closed at $62,300,000 on Sept. 18, 2015 and was the star of our game. I feel the Facebook stock purchase is what pushed our team into first place. As a personal stockholder of Facebook, I am pleased to see Facebook doing so well. Looking back, I would not make any changes to our team's strategy. I am proud of our team for a first-place victory!"
• Jennifer M. Womble: "Being that the three of us had little knowledge of how the stock market worked, I feel that we made good decisions on our investments. It was a clever idea to invest in well-known or popular companies. Popular companies that are well known for their products and services continue to increase their revenue because satisfied customers continue to purchase their products. Our team's strategy was beneficial and successful. Even though we had a not sure good start, we had a very successful finish. I have invested with my 401K at times, but I would like to be able to invest a large quantity; possibly in one of our SMG companies. The only change that I would have made would be investing some of the cash we had remaining as well. This experience has increased my interest in investing again. I give the team an A!"
• Amanda Holt: "Choosing popular and successful companies paid off well considering we placed first against the competing teams. Since we were so successful, I would not have changed anything about our investment strategy other than maybe spending the remaining two grand we never used. I would give our team's strategy an A+! Our stocks were all successful, popular businesses that do well on a regular basis and continue to grow so we expected their success. I learned that it is worth it to save up a decent amount of money to spend on your investment to increase the possibility of investing in a successful stock. In the past, I have considered investing a little here and there, but I think it is best to wait until I have a larger value to place in a profitable stock."

"I like utilizing the Stock Market Game because it brings the facts and theories we teach to life. Students are more engaged, aware of current economic conditions, and are eager to learn about the market," said Thomas. "The game not only presents a great simulation, but it also provides a platform for class discussion and an ideal opportunity for collaboration in a team environment.

"The team environment is something I am passionate about, in both face-to-face and distance education courses, because I think it teaches them a key skill they will need in the workforce. After listening to countless students' feedback, most agree that once they have played the game they are more interested and curious about the market as well as the key role it plays or will play in their financial futures."

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit the website www.cccc.edu.