charles.kongsoo@guardian .co.tt
Since its inception in 2021, The WizdomCRM Virtual Stock Market Game has partnered with the Jamaican and Barbados Stock Exchanges to have a cross-border Caricom learning platform.
The WizdomCRM Virtual Stock Market Game is a digital literacy platform that teaches primary and secondary school students how to invest in the stock market using gamification learning.
The game offers students a virtual simulation of the real-world stock market by starting them off with US $50,000 in virtual money to buy and sell stocks from popular companies, encouraging the students to conduct research to make wise investments.
The organisation held its fourth grand prize award ceremony for its top 4o students at NCB, Newtown Centre, Maraval Road, yesterday.
St Mary’s College Form Four student 15-year-old Ethan Ugas was the top performing student who amassed a US$9M portfolio in the virtual stock market game.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian, Ethan said, “I was very excited I won. All the cycles I took part in I won. I’ve been in the New York Stock Exchange and started off with US$1,000,000 in virtual money.”
His father, Mario Ugas, said families were happy for the stock market game being brought to students, as it created a further sense of camaraderie among parents and child interaction at home.
Ugas added that in the evenings they read articles and looked at financial news to be more financially aware and to help his two sons achieve financial freedom and knowledge. He felt wonderful as a parent, he said.
Natalie Lee Kim Ugas, Ethan’s mother, shared that the game had opened up a new perspective for the family and helped them to understand how the stock market worked.
She said Ethan was a bit impatient and cannot wait until he is old enough to invest in the stock market, but for now, he will advise his parents on how to make sound investments.
WizdomCRM Virtual Stock Market Game Senior Operations manager Chloe Joseph said 25 per cent of the top 40 students came from Tobago, 20 per cent of the students came from Barataria South Secondary School and 15 per cent came from Diego Martin North Secondary School.
She said there was strong representation from Tobago from Signal Hill, Scarborough Secondary School and Bishop’s High School.
Joseph said they were very proud of the engagement they had with the teachers there, as well as the schools in Trinidad and were looking forward to further expansion.
She said that the organisation will also be expanding and adding students from Jamaica and Barbados in future cycles so it more becomes of a regional competition as they try to uplift the standard of financial literacy in their students.